


stuck together

by jjajjangmyeow



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race (US) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Drabble, F/F, Fluff, Lesbian Character, RosNali - Freeform, Rosenali, Trapped In Elevator, completed au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:20:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjajjangmyeow/pseuds/jjajjangmyeow
Summary: Annoyed at the fact that she was stuck in an elevator, Denali decides to make a small talk with the person she was stuck with---only to find out they have met before.
Relationships: Denali/Rosé (Drag Race)
Comments: 67
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Rosé's recent tweet of being stuck in an elevator with an S13 Queen and ofc Denali replied so here we go clowning :,)

"Fuck," Denali muttered under her breath as she fought the urge to kick the elevator door. She knew it wouldn't help but she felt so frustrated. She was already running late for work but she had to go back up to her unit because she forgot her phone; and now here she was, stuck in a tin can pulley. Talk about bad luck. 

She slid down the elevator wall, flopping down on the floor, after she pressed the emergency button for the fifth time and did not get any response. It was only after her bum hit the floor that she noticed that there was someone else in the elevator with her. It took her a moment to place where she had seen the woman before. 

"You're my next door neighbor, right?" Denali asked, making the woman look up from her phone. 

Rosa, Rosanne---Denali couldn't place her name. 

The woman smiled, shrugging as she imitated the way Denali was sitting on the floor. 

"Not anymore," the woman replied. 

"Broke up with your S.O.?" Denali asked, not really meaning anything but to make small talk to calm her nerves. To her surprise, the woman cackled. 

"Oh no!" came the reply. "My roommate wanted her boyfriend to move in and I am not really comfortable living with a guy in any way, so I said I'd move out. I was going back for some of my other boxes." 

Denali's mouth formed an 'O', not really knowing what to say. They awkwardly smiled at each other and a moment of silence passed before Denali exclaimed. 

"Rosé!" she said, clapping her hands together. 

"Yeah?" the woman asked, both surprised and amused at Denali's outburst. 

Denali chuckled, waving her hands dismissively. 

"Oh, I was just trying to remember what your name was," she replied sheepishly. "I overheard your roommate call you over one time so, uh, yeah." She extended her hand, smiling at Rosé. "I'm Denali, but you can just call me Nali."

Rosé took her hand and shook it, smiling back at her. 

"I know," she said, taking Denali by surprise. "We've met before." 

Denali's eyes widened at the newfound information. 

"We have?" she asked, tilting her head as if that would bring the memory back. Rosé found her action endearing and she couldn't help but smile. 

"Yeah, we have," Rosé replied. "I'm not really surprised you don't remember because you were piss drunk when we first met." 

Denali's hand flew over to her mouth, shocked. 

"No!" she exclaimed, making Rosé laugh. 

"Yes!" Rosé contradicted. "We were in this elevator, too. We weren't stuck, though."

Denali blinked way more times than she should as she slowly began to remember the incident. She was coming home from her friend's birthday party and she had more drinks than she could handle. It was a miracle she even made it through the lobby and into the elevator. She could remember falling into someone's arms as she stepped inside but her memory faded out from that point on. 

Rosé watched as Denali tried to remember everything. Her lips formed a small smile, looking at the way the other's forehead creased with struggle. She was about to joke about Denali's drunken stupor that night but the elevator door began to open. They were met by the apologetic greetings of the manager and the maintenance staff. 

If this was any other time, Denali would have given them an earful but she was too busy trying to remember what happened after she collapsed. Rosé shook her head in amusement as Denali walked to her unit, in a daze, completely forgetting about Rosé. 

The key clicked, opening the door to her unit as Denali recovered the rest of her memory. 

*

__

_"Uhm…" the person she fell into awkwardly muttered. "Are you okay?"_

_She slurred a word of affirmation as she picked herself up. She walked---no, wobbled---towards the elevator buttons, trying to make out if the button she was pressing was 19 or 16._

_"What floor are you in?" the other person asked, helping her get her balance._

_"Sixteen," she replied, sighing as she leaned against the wall for support. She slowly gained her senses, realizing that the person in front of her was a woman---a very pretty woman with blush pink hair._

_"Wow…" she sighed in awe as she reached up to touch the woman's hair. "Your hair...was it pink when you were...uhm…born?"_

_The woman looked at her, bursting into a soft laugh._

_"No, sweetie," the woman said. "I just dyed it pink."_

_"Why?"_

_"So it would suit my name."_

_"What is your name?" Denali asked, still staring at the soft, silky, blush pink hair of the woman._

_"Rosé."_

_Denali moved her eyes from Rosé's hair to her face._

_"Wow," she sighed again. "Your name is...uhm…pretty. Like your...uhm...face. I'm Denali...Nali."_

_Rosé could barely make out what Denali was saying but she found the other's demeanor cute. Her face was flushed as an obvious after effect of the alcohol and her eyes were glued onto the hair she was so attracted to._

_The elevator bell dinged, signalling their arrival at the floor. Denali took a step out of the elevator but for some reason, her knees wobbled, sending her to fall face first on the floor---or not._

_Rosé caught her arm in time, pulling her back to keep her from falling. For a short moment, Denali sobered up from the shock._

_"You okay?" She heard Rosé ask with genuine concern._

_"Yeah… I'm…"_

_Denali's sobriety was slowly fading. She was once again drunk but this time, not from the alcohol, but from the light grayish-green eyes looking right down at her with care and worry._

_And so she did what any (in)sensible drunk Denali would do._

_She kissed her._

_Not just a simple friendly kiss. It was full-blown---_

_*_

__

Denali stopped herself. There was no way she was going to replay the whole embarrassing scene in the middle of her rush to work. She fought the urge to bang her head on the door. This was not the first time she had kissed someone when she was drunk but this was the first time she kissed a total complete stranger. And it wasn't even just a simple smack. 

"Fuck your drunk ass, Nali," she berated herself.

Denali let out a frustrated groan as she stomped out of her unit and towards the elevator. She could beat the shit out of herself later after work. For now she should not worry about the repercussions of her actions yet, if there even was any. As far as she could remember, Rosé kissed her back and---

"Nope," Denali blinked herself back to consciousness.

Rosé was moving out so it's not like she would meet her again any time soon.

"Remember it now?" 

'Of course, she's here,' Denali internally groaned. She turned around to see Rosé, carrying a box, grinning widely at her. 

"Yeah, uhm, I do," Denali answered, quickly turning away from Rosé. The elevator doors opened and they entered silently. Denali was quick to press the button for the ground floor, hoping that the doors would open as soon as possible and take her out of her misery. She wanted to ask why Rosé didn't push her away but at the same time she was embarrassed by what she did.

"I'm really sorry about that," she said instead as they approached the ground floor. She turned to see Rosé smiling gently at her, keeping her eyes locked onto her. 

"I'm not," Rosé replied with conviction just as the elevator doors opened. She winked at Denali before walking out, letting the whole exchange sink into the latter. And when it did sink into Denali, she ran after the pink-haired woman, calling her name as loud as she could. 

"Yeah?" Rosé asked, closing the trunk of her car. Denali chuckled, approaching Rosé with confidence she didn't know she had.

"Would you like to get drunk with me, sometime?" 

Rosé smiled as she pushed a lock of hair behind Denali's ear, whispering her answer.

"Only if you would give me a kiss like that again."


	2. Chapter 2

"What's the rush, beeyotch?" Priyanka, the only person Denali can tolerate in her office, asked with a surprised look on her face as she watched Denali pack her things up in a hurry. Sure, the latter was always in a rush to go home, but not this rushed. "Going out again tonight?" Priyanka pressed when Denali didn't respond. In fairness to the latter, she didn't hear the question. 

"Uhm, yeah," Denali replied hastily while grabbing her bag and slinging it onto her shoulder. 

Earlier that day, she found it in her to ask out the woman she apparently kissed when she was drunk: Rosé. And to her surprise, her offer was very much welcomed by the other. Rosé even did this flirty thing where she pushed a lock of her behind Denali's ear and believe it or not---that was it for Denali. How she never even talked to Rosé back when they were still neighbors was something she could never understand. Maybe the universe just wanted it to be the way or maybe she was just too cooped up in her little world to even notice that Rosé was literally just there. 

Priyanka gave a side-eye to Denali who was unconsciously blushing at the thought of her exchange with Rosé earlier and the fact that Rosé wanted their "date" to be tonight. If it even was a date. None of them specified it to be a date, anyway. They were just going to get drunk that's all.

Or maybe not all. 

"You're going on a date, aren't you?" Priyanka nudged her co-worker. "It's written all-over your face, Nali. Don't even deny!" 

Denali only glared at her before leaving her desk, and Priyanka longing for the tea. She was about to press the down button for the elevator when she remembered getting stuck in one earlier that day. Shuddering at the thought, she opted to take the stairs. Yes, she was on the 26th floor but who fucking cares? It was going down, anyways. Denali walked towards the staircase and began her dizzying journey towards the lobby. 

She was out of breath and ultimately dizzy by the time she got to the ground floor. It took her a moment to regain her composure and pull out her phone to dial a number that had been newly registered into it on the very same day. 

"Did you take the stairs going down?" Rosé's chuckle greeted Denali when she picked up the call. She saw Denali walking out of the hall where the staircase was and she couldn't help but smile at the exhausted state the other was in. Denali was still in her office clothes but she still looked cute as hell.

From outside of the building, Rosé waved at Denali, leaning casually against her car. Denali would be lying if she said that didn't do anything for her at all. Rosé was in a black leather jacket with a plain white shirt, dark jeans and combat boots with her blush pink hair flowing with the wind---of course it did a lot for Denali. 

"You're on time," Denali commented, trying to keep her composure despite all the beauty that was being displayed in front of her. 

"Never be late for a date," Rosé replied with a little smirk that kind of drove Denali crazy. Emphasis on 'kind of'. They got into the car and Denali buckled up.

"Oh, so this is a date?" Denali joked, not expecting the other to actually say yes. 

"Isn't it?" Rosé retorted with a smirk, making Denali shake her head in amusement. Rosé started the engine, driving off to the bar where Denali said they should go. 

None of them really talked on the way. Denali wasn't sure if it was her being awkward or if it was Rosé just saving all the talk for later. Anyhow, Denali was grateful for the silence. She was able to take a quick nap before she had to dive into another night of liquor and loud music. 

A soft tap on her cheeks woke her up, her eyes fluttering as she came to her senses. 

"We're here, sleepyhead," Rosé said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Do you really want to get drunk or do you just want to sleep, instead?" 

Denali chuckled as she fixed her hair. 

"I believe the invitation was 'Will you get drunk with me sometime' and not 'Will you sleep with me sometime'," Denali retorted.

Rosé let out a little laugh but it was immediately caught in her throat when Denali leaned over to her ear and whispered.

"Well, that's not the invitation, _yet._ "

Their eyes met and Denali gave the same wink Rosé gave her that morning before getting out of the car, leaving Rosé in a daze. 

*

"Dammit."

Rosé turned to Denali who stopped in her tracks. 

"What? Why?" she asked, following the latter's line of sight. 

"My friends are here," came the whispered reply. Rosé felt a slight tug on her sleeve. 

"Let's just go somewhere else," Denali pleaded, fully grabbing Rosé's arm---a little too late. Her friends had already seen her. 

"Nali! Get over here, bitch!" Kahmora shouted, not noticing that Denali was with someone. 

"This is bad," Denali murmured under her breath, earning a curious look from Rosé. 

"Because?" the pink-haired woman asked. Denali didn't need to answer it because in a few moments, Rosé was going to find out. 

*

Denali had three close friends. Two of them were from college: Joey and Gottmik, while the other one, Kahmora, was her childhood friend. 

All three of them had been all-over Rosé from the moment the two walked over. It wasn't actually as bad as Rosé pictured it to be because the three were really cool. The conversation hasn't died ever since she sat down on the couch. It made her feel like she had been a part of this friend group for a very long time. The only downside was, she didn't get to spend time with Denali alone, and the latter shared the same sentiment. She gave Rosé an apologetic look from across the table and the other only smiled in return. 

"I'm getting some more drinks, who wants some more?" Joey asked, scooting out of the booth. 

"I'll go with you!" Rosé offered. 

The two of them walked over to the bar to get more alcohol and Joey couldn't help but pry. 

"So, how did you two really meet?" she asked. Rosé was about to reply with the same 'stuck in the elevator today' story that Denali gave but Joey narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me the same shit Nali said because I know there's more to it. I can tell when she's hiding something." 

Rosé laughed. 

"We did meet in an elevator. Denali wasn't lying about that part, but…" she trailed off, taking their drinks from the bar. "I would have to ask for her permission first before I spill the whole story because it might be kind of embarrassing on her part."

She gave one last smile at Joey before hurrying back to their booth and stealing Joey's spot beside Denali. 

"Offering to help so you could sit beside me, huh?" Denali teased as soon as Rosé sat down. The latter only winked at her and of course, that didn't go unnoticed by the other three. 

Their conversation picked up from where it left off. Rosé sank into the couch, sliding her hand behind Denali and drawing circles on the latter's back. Denali couldn't fight the smile off her face. Her friends fought the urge to pry because they knew how Denali was: if she wanted to spill, she would spill. 

The night ended when Gottmik called it, saying she still had an early appointment the next day. While they were waiting for Rosé and Gottmik to bring their cars around, Joey walked over to Denali with the drunk Kahmora in tow. 

"I like her," she said with a little knowing smile. Denali knew she was busted but she tried to play it cool by asking what Joey meant. 

"I asked her for the real story of how you guys met while we were getting more drinks and she said she'd have to ask for your permission first because it might be embarrassing for you," Joey replied. She reached out and pinched Denali's cheek. " _That_ , bitch, is what I would call a keeper."

As if on cue, Gottmik and Rosé pulled up. Joey flashed one last teasing look over to Denali before helping Kahmora into the backseat. 

Denali was in a daze when she got into the passenger's seat of Rosé's car. 

Keeper? Joey really thinks way too far ahead, way too quickly. 

"You okay?" Rosé asked, noticing the silence from the other. Denali turned to smile at her as she nodded in response. 

"Just something Joey told me," she replied. Rosé nodded, turning her attention back to the road. 

Denali kept her eyes on Rosé watching her every move. Watching every light that reflected against her eyes; the same eyes that first captivated her. In all honesty, she had never been in love before. She had no idea if what she was feeling right now was falling in love or if it was just some sort of infatuation with the beautiful woman beside her. But nonetheless, it felt good. 

To be driving back home, intoxicated enough to feel like the whole world was flowing around you, but sober enough to be aware of what you're doing and how you're feeling. 

They pulled over in front of Denali's building and Rosé turned to meet her gaze. 

"I'm really sorry about tonight," Denali began. "I was planning to have you all to myself but yeah…"

Rosé chuckled, gently poking the tip of Denali's nose. 

"I was planning the same thing too," she replied with a tinge of regret. 

They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, the cogwheels turning in Denali's brain. 

"Say, uhm…" she began, clearing her throat. "I don't think you should be driving alone at this hour especially after you drank a couple of bottles of alcohol."

Rosé slowly broke into a smile, instantly reading into the true intentions behind Denali's statement. 

"Maybe you should crash in my place tonight." 

The subtle sparkle in Denali's eyes made it hard for Rosé to decline. Well, she wasn't going to decline in the first place anyway. 

"Maybe I should," Rosé replied. 

She parked the car properly, closely following behind Denali as they entered the building. There was an air of 'awkwardness', as Denali would like to believe but she knew exactly what was lingering on the air. 

They got inside the elevator. Rosé went in first, clicking the button for the 16th floor. She was about to turn around to check if Denali had got inside as well but she was suddenly pushed against the elevator door. Her back hit against the steel wall, her eyes widened in surprise as Denali trapped her in between the other's arms. 

"Are you drunk?" Rosé asked half-jokingly, barely holding on to the last of her resolve. 

"No, I'm not," came Denali's swift reply. 

She had been spending the whole night trying to keep her hands to herself, especially after Rosé began drawing those little circles on her back while they chatted the night away with her friends. 

"But I will kiss you," Denali continued. "Because that was part of my offer this morning."

Rosé reached over to pull Denali by the waist closing what little gap was left between their bodies. 

"Do it, then."

Denali reached up, gently pressing her lips against Rosé's. The latter's hands travelled up to cup Denali's face to deepen the kiss, making them both lose their minds. They would have let the moment go on forever if not for the ringing of the elevator bell that signalled their arrival at their chosen floor. They pulled away breathless and softly giggling.

"Hey," Denali began, looking into Rosé's eyes.

"Yeah?" 

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" 

Rosé's lips turned up into a smile. She didn't have to voice out her answer. 

Actions speak louder than words anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

Clothes strewn across the living room floor, messy bed sheets, and entangled bodies. That was the scenario playing out as the sunlight seeped through Denali's curtains. 

Rosé's eyes slowly opened and her gaze fell upon the woman lying peacefully in her arms. It took her a moment to realize that everything that happened last night wasn't a dream. It was real. It did happen. Denali's back was turned away from her, giving her a chance to bury her face into the other's raven hair that smelled nothing short of fresh flowers. She stayed in that position for a while, basking in the warmth of the body she was embracing; she wanted to stay like that forever but her wishes were cut-off by the buzzing of the doorbell. 

Making sure to not make a fuss, Rosé slowly pulled her arms from under Denali, covering the latter with the blanket as she stood up. She put on her underwear but was unable to find the rest of her clothes among the mess so she just grabbed the sweater hanging from the chair beside the bed and threw it on before answering the door. 

To her surprise, she was greeted by a middle-aged woman who had the brightest smile on her face. 

"Oh, hello!" A slight confusion flashed on the woman's features as she took a glance at the unit number on the door. "Denali lives here, right?" she asked, earning a nod from Rosé. 

"Uhm, yes, but she's still uhm---"

"Who's that?" 

Rosé turned to where the question came from and her jaw almost dropped after seeing Denali in her half-asleep state, walking out of the bedroom with nothing but the blanket covering her. 

"Nali!" the woman exclaimed, pushing her way through the door but immediately stopping when she realized what she had just walked in. 

"Oh my god, Aunt Tami!" Denali shouted, jolting awake from shock. 

Rosé flashed her a confused look and Denali immediately cleared her throat to introduce the two women to each other. 

"Uhm, Rosé, this is Aunt Tami, Kahmora's mom," Denali began. "Aunt Tami, this is Rosé, uhm… a friend of mine."

Rosé didn't know but the word 'friend' left a bitter taste in her mouth. She quickly pushed her unpleasant thoughts aside, though, holding her hand out for Aunt Tami to shake. She couldn't remember how the topic of adoption came into the course of the conversation the night before but she could clearly recall Kahmora proudly saying being adopted by her mom was the best thing that ever happened to her. 

"Hi, Ma'am, nice to meet you," Rosé politely greeted. Aunt Tami smiled gleefully as she took Rosé's hand but instead of shaking it, she pulled her in for a hug. 

"It's 'Aunt Tami' for you, too, sweetie," she said. "I can see that you're a special friend to my Nali here."

Aunt Tami flashed a knowing look towards the two as she put down the bag she was carrying onto the table in the living room. 

"I just dropped by to give you some of the dishes I cooked," she said, talking to Denali who was struggling with keeping her blanket cover together. "I would stay for a chat but it seems like I came at a bad time." 

Aunt Tami blew a kiss towards Denali and gave Rosé a loving pat on the cheek before heading for the door. 

"You girls go back to your business, I'll be outta here!" she said with a little giggle, rushing out the door before Denali could even say anything. The door clicked and all Denali could do was laugh. Rosé looked at her as if she grew another head. 

"What?" Rosé asked, walking over to Denali who was cackling as she leaned against the door frame. 

"I just…" Denali trailed off. Once again, she found herself getting lost in Rosé's eyes. It was as if the other could see through her soul with just one look. 

Seeing the other in a daze, Rosé snaked her arms around Denali's waist pulling her closer to her as she leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the latter's lips. Morning kisses were not Rosé's thing because it made her feel attached to whoever it was she slept with the past night but there was something about Denali that made her want to do it. There was something about Denali that made her think this was not just a one time thing. 

They pulled away from the kiss, smiling at each other. 

"My parents think I'm so uptight, I'll die without getting laid," Denali chuckled, finally regaining the sense of what she was supposed to say earlier. "It's not that I've never slept with anyone. They just really think all I focus on is work. And with Aunt Tami walking in on all these, it's only a matter of time until my parents find out and throw a party for me for 'finally' sleeping with someone." 

Denali broke into laughter just thinking about it and Rosé did the same. 

"Which reminds me," Denali continued. "We've done all this and I still don't know what you do for a living." 

Rosé pecked Denali's lips one more time, chuckling as she answered. 

"I sleep with people then steal their cash," Rosé replied, making the other burst out laughing. 

"Well, joke's on you because I keep my cash in a treasure chest in the middle of the ocean," Denali retorted. "But seriously though. Don't you need to go to work today?" 

Rosé smiled, shaking her head. 

"I'm a freelance photographer and so far I have no schedules today, so I'm a free woman," she replied, freeing her arms from Denali to find her clothes among the mess in the living room. 

"Well, you can stay here if you like," Denali shrugged. It took her a moment to realize how that must have sounded to Rosé so she immediately added on to it. "I mean if you're not going anywhere, you can hang out here while I'm at work." She honestly had no idea why she made the offer but it seemed nice to have Rosé around for a bit longer.

"So you can come home to my beauty?" Rosé joked as she collected her clothes. Denali narrowed her eyes at Rosé, crossing her arms. 

"Beauty? What beauty? Where?" she retorted, not expecting the pink-haired woman to take the sweater off in response. 

"This beauty," Rosé said tauntingly, flipping her hair as she hung the sweater on the arm rest of the couch. 

Blush crept onto Denali's cheeks as memories of the past night came flooding back to her. She turned her face away from Rosé to keep herself from hyperventilating then and there. The latter chuckled at Denali's obvious flustering as she finished putting on all of her clothes. She walked back to Denali, pushing both sides of the latter's hair behind her ears, then cupping her cheeks. 

"I'd love to hang, baby, but I should at least shower and get changed first," Rosé said. 

Denali nodded with a tight smile. She wanted to keep Rosé longer but the latter had a point. She was about to walk Rosé to the door but a pair of arms was wrapped around her waist once more. 

"How about, we go on a date later?" Rosé asked, smiling fondly at Denali. "A proper one this time. No alcohol. No friends. Just you and me and all our questions for each other." 

Denali slowly broke into a smile. She reached up to place a gentle kiss on Rosé's lips before responding to the invitation. 

"That sounds great."

*

From the moment she walked in the office, Denali couldn't wipe the smile on her face and to say that it was intriguing her workmates was an understatement. Unable to hold her curiosity, Priyanka walked up to Denali while the latter was making some coffee in the pantry during their break. 

"Did your date go well?" Priyanka asked in a low voice, nudging Denali. 

Denali chuckled, leaning against the cabinet that housed the coffee machine

"We ran into my friends so it wasn't really a date," she began. "But I still had fun." She narrowed her eyes at Priyanka. "Why are you always so curious anyway?" 

Priyanka grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. 

"The guys in finance were all betting on which of them can ask your bitchy ass out first, and I said the answer would be none of them because they all suck," she replied rolling her eyes. Denali choked on her coffee, almost spitting it out as she laughed at Priyanka's demeanor. "So, I'm trying to know if you did go on a date with one of those idiots or if you found yourself a decent man."

Denali gave a long look at Priyanka before responding. 

"No, I am not going out with any of the boys from finance," she replied, beginning to walk away from her workmate. "But yes, I did find myself a decent woman. Thanks for asking." 

It took a solid minute for Priyanka to process what Denali had just said. 

"Woman?!" she asked, running after Denali who immediately glared at her loud mouth. "Woman?" Priyanka repeated, in a whisper this time. "You hoe! I've been flirting with you ever since you started working here and you didn't even give me a chance!" she complained in an exaggerated manner that made Denali cackle. 

"Pri," Denali began, putting a hand on the other's shoulder. "You yourself said that I should find someone decent. And we both know that's not a category you fit in."

Priyanka's mouth hung open at the blunt but real statement Denali just made, making the latter burst into laughter. 

"Touché," Priyanka said, bitterly admitting defeat as she walked back to her desk to get away from Denali and her roaring laughter. 

Denali spent the rest of the day completing all the work she had to finish so she could be as carefree as she wanted to be when she goes on that date with Rosé. She was down to the last paperwork when her boss walked over to her desk, dumping a pile of papers on her table. 

"Can you read through these project proposals? I still have a meeting with Peterson and his lawyers tonight so, I need you to filter these project proposals for Quentin and Co. so I don't waste my time reading the subpar ones," her boss ordered. "You know the standards. Just give me the best 3 out of these by tomorrow."

Denali wanted to scream. She was fifteen minutes away from clocking out and now a pile of work had been dumped on her. But of course she couldn't do anything but to accept the added task bestowed on her. After her boss had left, she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Priyanka probably sensed the tension so she offered a consoling pat on Denali's shoulder. The latter thanked her workmate for the moral support but her mind was still going haywire. 

She knew she would have to cancel her date with Rosé but she didn't want to. But she had to. While she was trying to organize her priorities in her mind, her phone buzzed, revealing a text from the woman she had been waiting to see all day. 

'I'm outside your building.' 

Denali let out a defeated sigh before hurriedly walking out of the office to rush downstairs and meet Rosé. She got in the elevator silently praying for it to reach the lobby quicker, and when it did, her breath was taken away by the view from just outside the glass doors. 

Rosé had her beautiful hair tied up in a bun. She was wearing a gray coat dress that showed off her feminine side. But the most beautiful part was her smile. She was smiling brightly as Denali walked out of the building, unaware of the bad news the latter was going to deliver. 

"Hey," Denali sighed. "First of all, you look very beautiful tonight---" Rosé smiled. "---but my boss just dumped a pile of work on me that I need to submit tomorrow and I think I'm gonna have to cancel our plans tonight."

Rosé pursed her lips, easily reading into the sadness in Denali's eyes. She leaned back towards her car, extending her hand to lock her pinky finger with Denali's pinky finger. 

"Are you allowed to take your work home?" she asked. Her eyes were filled with so much understanding, it made Denali think she was in some sort of a dream. 

"Uhm, I guess?" Denali responded, shrugging. 

Rosé pushed a lock of hair behind Denali's ear with her free hand---it was a gesture that had become a force of habit for her in the past days they have been together and it felt so right. She smiled at the worried one, offering a suggestion. 

"How about we go back to your place, and you do your work, and I'll cook dinner for us instead?" 

The suggestion immediately lit up Denali's eyes. 

"It's not the romantic date I was planning to take you on but---"

"It's perfect," Denali said, cutting off Rosé's disclaimer. She gave a quick kiss on Rosé's cheek before heading back in to collect her things. 

As Rosé watched the other walk back into the building, processing the lingering feeling of the kiss left on her cheek, she realized that she may have fallen for Denali---way deeper than she thought. 

*

They were back in Denali's place and Rosé had completely taken over the kitchen. Denali wanted to watch her cook but Rosé wanted it to be a surprise so the former had no choice but to start with the work she took home. 

There were more than 20 proposals that she had to pore over and she had just finished reading the fifth one when Rosé walked over to where she was seated on the living room floor, offering both her hands to help Denali up. Denali clasped her hands over her mouth as she entered the kitchen. On the kitchen counter, Rosé managed to light up some candles that set the most romantic mood she had ever seen. On either side of the candles were perfectly plated pasta and glasses of red wine. 

"I know I said no alcohol, but napoletana is great with some wine," Rosé reasoned. 

Denali turned to her with a pout. 

"How much more perfect can you be?" she asked, making Rosé laugh. 

"Believe me baby, there's some skeletons in my closet, too," she honestly replied and if she thought that would make Denali think twice, she was wrong. Her honesty made Denali admire her even more. 

"I hope I don't become a skeleton when I taste you cooking, though," Denali joked, as she sat down on the bar stool. 

"Oh dear lord, I hope not," Rosé bickered. "I still haven't found out where you keep your cash." 

They continued bickering as they began eating until their conversation took a more serious turn. Rosé found out that Denali was indeed working in one of the most trusted PR firms which explains why the latter really had no time for that much social life, let alone romance, in the past years. As to why Denali gave her a chance, Rosé was yet to muster up the courage to ask that question. 

They talked about their current work, their friends, and a little bit about their families. Denali noticed that the topic about family seemed to be a touchy subject for Rosé so she didn't press on about it. 

"Shit," Denali muttered under her breath when her eyes landed on the clock. It was a few minutes past 8 and she still had a lot of work to do. Calmly, Rosé collected the plates, putting them in the sink and offering to do them for Denali. 

"Are you sure?" the latter asked.

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Rosé assured her as she rolled up her sleeves. Denali thanked her, walking out of the kitchen---and then coming back in again. 

"Where did you get the candles and the wine from?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Rosé turned the faucet off, laughing lightly. 

"I knew you didn't hear me," she chuckled. "I went downstairs to buy them while you were busy doing your work." She shook her head in feigned disappointment. "Now I'm beginning to understand why your parents think you won't ever get laid."

Denali stared at her in disbelief before grabbing a piece of table napkin and throwing it playfully at Rosé. The latter cackled at her reaction, shooing Denali away so she could finish doing the dishes. Denali walked back to her spot in the living room and continued doing her work. She was very much absorbed with the pile of papers in front of her that she had quite forgotten about Rosé still being around until the pleasant smell of brewed coffee filled the air. 

"Figured you won't be getting any sleep tonight with all that work, so I hope you don't mind me poking around your kitchen and making some coffee," Rosé said as she squatted beside Denali to serve the cup of coffee she made. 

Denali looked over her shoulders to thank Rosé but her lips were immediately met by Rosé's gentle kiss. 

"Thank you," Rosé softly said. 

"What do you mean?" Denali asked. "I should be the one thanking you for going through all that trouble just to make our date happen."

Rosé chuckled, shaking her head. 

"I just… I'm grateful for your existence, that's all," she shrugged. 

Denali twisted her body to face Rosé properly. 

"Does that mean we're going on a second date?" she half-joked, hoping for the answer to be 'yes'. Rosé leaned in, brushing her nose against Denali's. With a fond smile, she responded. 

"Second, third, fourth. You can keep counting, baby. We're going on all of it."


	4. Chapter 4

Rosé wasn't kidding when she said they would go on all of those dates. It's been a few months since that first date and by this time, Denali has completely lost count of how many dates they have been on. The only thing she could remember was where they've been on those dates. It was like Rosé had been sitting on date ideas ever since she was born because she never seemed to run out of plans for their dates. 

Everytime they were together, Denali just didn't want Rosé to leave, ever. She was actually starting to think that she was becoming too clingy and that it was lowkey annoying Rosé that's why she really did her best not to disturb Rosé when she's at work. 

But this time was an exception. 

It has been one of the worst weeks in their firm with one of their clients having a PR nightmare and the fact that she hasn't seen Rosé for almost two weeks didn't help. Rosé had an overseas photoshoot and was still fully booked even after she returned from the trip.

Denali checked the address Rosé sent to her when she asked where the other was, hailing a cab hurriedly. She was supposed to lounge around her living room in her most comfortable hoodie and shorts but she changed her mind, unable to contain the longing she had for Rosé. After half an hour, she arrived at the shoot location, instantly spotting the pink hair she knew too well in the middle of the crowd. 

She slowly approached, noticing that Rosé was talking with who Denali assumed to be the model. They were laughing heartily at whatever it was that Rosé said and somehow, it irritated Denali. Maybe it was because she had been missing Rosé too much or because the model was unbelievably beautiful---yes, she was jealous. 

Denali silently waited for the laughter to subside before approaching the two. She tugged at Rosé's sleeve making the other turn to her with a pleasant smile. 

"Hey! You're here!" Rosé excitedly greeted, putting her arm around Denali. She turned to the model, introducing the two women to each other. "Nali, baby, this is Symone," Rosé began. "We used to go to high school together." 

'Oh great,' Denali thought. 'A gorgeous woman plus a history with Rosé.' She wanted to roll her eyes and it took a lot for her to keep the smile on her face and greet Symone cordially. 

"Nice to meet you!" Symone responded, extending her hand to Denali who shook it gently. "I have to say though, I was asking Rosé who was the lucky woman, and it turns out, Rosé is the lucky one!"

Denali caught Rosé blushing and she will surely tease her for it later but for now she was just trying to keep her jealousy---and her hands---at bay. Luckily for her, Symone was called over by the make-up artist for some touch-ups and so she finally, although not privately, had Rosé to herself.

"I'm sorry," Denali began. "I know I said I will never disturb you when you work but I just---"

Her words were cut off by a quick, gentle kiss that landed on her lips. 

"I miss you too," Rosé replied even without Denali finishing her sentence. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" 

Denali shook her head like a child refusing to let go of her favorite plushie. "No," she replied. "I really want to just hug you for hours."

"Just hugging?" Rosé asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Denali laughed, before responding with a wink. 

"If you play your cards right we might do something more than just hugging," Denali whispered into Rosé’s ear, making the latter’s jaw drop. Denali laughed heartily at the other’s reaction. Rosé was about to say something in return but she was cut-off by the sound of the shoot director calling her name. She told Denali to wait for her in the tent and the latter obliged. 

Denali worked on some of the emails she had hanging on her phone while waiting for Rosé to finish her work. She had completely become immersed in the task at hand that she didn't notice the tent door open. 

"Hey."

To Denali's surprise, it was Symone. 

"Oh, hi," Denali greeted with a tight smile. "All done?" 

Symone nodded, as she took off her heels. "I just have to say," she began. "I've never seen Rosé this happy even back when we were in high school." Symone sat down on the chair across Denali with a little smile. 

“Really?” Denali asked in surprise. She didn’t expect Symone to actually be this amiable. 

“Yeah,” Symone chuckled. “She was that type of girl who you could only admire from afar because she could shut you down in seconds. So she didn’t really have many people around her, let alone be close friends with her.”

“But you guys seem to be close with each other,” Denali replied, confused.

Symone lifted one of her legs, massaging her ankles. “The only reason why we became close is that we got into a huge fight and we were in detention for a month,” she laughed. “We fought over the last meatball sandwich for lunch. Like a literal cat fight, brawl on the floor.” 

Denali couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the image of Rosé in a brawl. 

“We were in detention for a month and I guess being the social person that I was, I just couldn’t stand the silence one day, so I decided to make small talk with her, until we actually became friends,” Symone finished. She glanced at Denali who seemed to have a huge question in her head. “If you’re curious whether I liked Rosé back then,” Symone said, giving Denali a meaningful look. “I didn’t.”

Denali’s eyes widened with some kind of relief and it sent Symone laughing.

“For real?” Denali asked, a smile forming on her lips. 

“Nah,” Symone replied, waving the thought off. “You’re honestly kinda more of my type.”

The smile on Denali’s lips froze, leaving Symone even more amused with her. 

“Okay, I’m calling foul.”

The two women turned towards the opening of the tent, seeing Rosé walk in, with narrowed eyes at Symone. 

“That’s my woman, Sy,” Rosé said with seriousness despite the playful manner. “She’s off-limits.”

My woman. Denali almost wanted to weep. No, she actually wanted to weep. That was the affirmation she had been seeking for the past weeks that they hadn’t seen each other.

Symone broke into a warm smile, standing up to get changed. “I know, Ro,” she replied, with a laugh. “I could sense you shooting daggers at everyone on set the moment she walked in.” She gave Denali a little wave. “If Miss Rosé over here ever leaves you, just call me.”

Rosé grabbed a tissue from the table, throwing it playfully at Symone. Denali laughs at the banter, reaching out to hold Rosé’s hand in a silent plea to get the hell out of there and back to her place. Rosé picked up the cue and bid the staff goodbye so she and her woman could go home. 

*

They were lounging on the couch, just letting Serendipity become a white noise while they basked in the warmth of each other. There had been a lot of questions on Denali’s mind and Rosé could hear each of the wheels turning in her head. 

“Baby, what are you thinking?” Rosé asked, gently rubbing Denali’s arms up and down. A long sigh escaped Denali’s lips as she turned on her belly to face Rosé. The latter stared at Denali with such awe, as if she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen---and she was. 

“I just, still can’t move on from the fact that you said I was your woman,” Denali said. 

“Did it scare you?” Rosé quickly asked. She didn’t realize that it may have sounded too possessive and that it might be too early for it. 

Denali smiled, revealing her cute little dimple as she shook her head. 

“It actually made me feel more secure than ever,” she said. “So, uhm, I’ve been thinking---” she reached out to draw random shapes on Rosé’s chest. “---since you said a while back that you really haven’t found the time to unpack your things in your friend’s apartment...maybe…”

Denali bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before finally dropping her question. 

“Maybe, you could unpack in here instead?”

Rosé froze in her place.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” she asked, still not believing what she just heard. Denali nodded in response. 

“Is it too fast?” Denali asked nervously.

Rosé pulled Denali closer, smiling with pure happiness. 

“My friend is most probably still awake right now. Should we grab my boxes now?”


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, hey there!" 

Denali's jaw dropped. 

Utica. 

The darling of every single fashion week---Utica. 

Denali's firm had been trying to get her to sign them as her press team but they just couldn't get in touch with her but here she was being introduced to Utica herself by Rosé. She was so overwhelmed by the presence of the acclaimed designer that she didn't catch Rosé saying the word 'girlfriend'---or maybe she did but it didn't register at that moment.

"This is my dear friend who let me crash in her place for a while until I found a new place," Rosé said as they walked inside the penthouse. 

"And I'm guessing you were able to find one?" Utica asked, walking back to the kitchen table where she was enjoying a nice slice of apple pie before she heard the knock on the door. She glanced at the couple, smiling as she instantly read the situation. She turned to Denali, feigning an exasperated look. "Please by all means, take her away from me," she pleaded with both hands, making Denali laugh.

"You're making it like I'm the worst roommate, stop!" Rosé responded to Utica's lament. She went inside the guest room to collect her boxes, telling Denali to just wait for her with Utica, and of course the latter was thrilled to be able to sit down with Denali and press for the story. 

"So, how did you guys meet?" Utica giddily asked, slightly shocking Denali. She's seen a bunch of press clips of Utica and she always seemed so serious and intimidating; so far from the gal pal Utica she was seeing in front of her.

"Long story short," Denali began. "I kissed her in the elevator when I was drunk and then we got stuck in an elevator together almost a month after the first encounter; I asked her out and voilá, here we are."

Utica waved her pointy finger at Denali as she nodded approvingly. "I like you," she said. "Very direct to the point!" Utica giggled. "Rosé actually wouldn't stop flooding me with messages when you asked her out. I asked where she met you and she said she didn't wanna say because---"

"It might be embarrassing for me," Denali finished the statement with a smile. She remembered Joey saying the same thing to her when they first met Rosé. 

"Exactly!" Utica exclaimed, clasping her hands. Denali smiled, revealing her adorable dimple before asking Utica where she met Rosé. "My dad works for Rosé's family so we kind of grew up together."

Denali's jaw dropped for the nth time that day. 

"Your dad works _for_ Rosé's family?" she asked. She did her research on Utica when they were trying to get her to sign them as her press team. The designer did not come from a simple background so for Utica's father to work for Rosé's family said a lot about the latter's background. Utica nodded, seemingly confused. 

"She hasn't told you about her family yet?" Utica asked, and Denali shook her head in response. "Oh, okay," Utica hummed. "Don't worry, though! Her family's clean. They're not a mafia or goons or anything."

"You sure about that?" 

Denali turned in her seat to see Rosé sauntering out of the guest room with a couple of boxes, smiling bitterly at Utica. The designer only sighed, flashing an apologetic smile towards Denali. 

*

The drive back to Denali's place was silent. Denali could almost hear Rosé's thoughts as the latter focused her eyes on the road; Rosé was trying to make up an excuse for her sarcastic remark about her family earlier. When they arrived at the building, they were able to unload all of Rosé's boxes and bring them up in just two trips. Rosé really didn't have that much stuff to move. They stacked the boxes in the living room, promising to fix it all up in the coming days. 

"Welcome home," Denali said, opening up her arms for Rosé to come into her embrace. The latter smiled, taking up the offered hug and buried her face into Denali's neck. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Denali whispered into Rosé's ear. "You don't have to make excuses for what you said either because you're allowed to feel whatever it is you're feeling towards them."

Rosé pulled away, her eyes glassy with the tears that threatened to fall. She had been holding back the words she was about to say because it felt too early to say it. But after hearing all those comforting words from Denali, there was no denying it. No more holding back. 

"I love you, Nali."

It took a moment for Denali to process what Rosé said but when she did, she smiled. "Yeah, I guess I figured that part out already when you called me your woman in front of Symone and introduced me as your girlfriend to Utica," she said with a little laugh that was surely contagious because Rosé ended up laughing, too.

"So you _did_ catch that girlfriend thing," Rosé teased, beginning to walk towards the bedroom while still hugging Denali who had no problem walking backwards. 

"Mhmm, I did," Denali replied, looking up at Rosé. "What about it?"

"Since you caught that," Rosé said, reaching for the knob and turning it with ease. The bedroom door was pushed wide open. They continued their tango until Denali was lying down on the bed with Rosé hovering on top of her. "Should we make it official?" 

Denali snaked her arms around Rosé's neck, pulling her closer. 

"I thought we already did when I asked you to move in with me and you said yes," Denali whispered, batting her eyelashes as she kept her gaze locked on Rosé's eyes. 

"That's true," Rosé agreed. "But I should probably mark what's mine. You know, just in case someone tries to flirt with you again." Denali chuckled, tilting her head and exposing her neck to Rosé. 

"Yes, I think you should." 

Denali slowly stretched out her limbs, rolling over to the other side of the bed where she was met by the marks she left on Rosé's back. She gently ran her fingers across them, smiling to herself before checking to see if her boss approved her sick leave---and it was. By the time she turned back around, a pair of green eyes was staring lovingly at her. 

"This is something I could get used to," Rosé whispered, running her thumb across the hickey on Denali's neck. She picked up Denali's hands, intertwining their fingers before placing a kiss on the other's knuckles. 

"Well, you have all day to stare at me," Denali said, reaching over to put her other hand on Rosé's waist. "I filed a sick leave today so we can't sort out your stuff and you know, buy some house supplies and stuff and do some redecorating." 

Rosé smiled, loving the idea of spending the whole day in her new home, with the woman she loves. "I'll make a list," she said as he leaned in to place a kiss on Denali's lips; the latter quickly kissed her back. 

"I think you should add bed sheets to the list you're going to make," Denali said with a little laugh, affecting Rosé with the same giggle. 

"Yes, baby, I think I should."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there! 
> 
> for certain reasons, i'm keeping it PG on here so i cut some parts off from this chapter. if you want to read the full version, holler at me so i can send you the link for it!


	6. Chapter 6

Rosé was busy packing up her cameras when her phone buzzed. _'Emergency come home pls'_ read the text. Her eyebrows furrowed when she realized Denali had left a bunch of panicked voice messages, telling her to come home. Rosé cursed under her breath, annoyed at herself for putting her phone on Do Not Disturb. She hastened up her packing and hurried into her car, stepping on the gas and making it back home in about half the time it usually would take her to. 

She turned the key, rushing into the place they have been calling home for five months now, frantically calling out Denali's name. 

"Baby? Where are you?!" Her voice rang out through the apartment as her hand reached for the light switch but before she could flip it, a string of little fairy lights lit up on the floor---one after the other, leading up to the balcony where she could see the figure of the woman she knows too well. 

"Happy birthday to you…"

Rosé's eyes shook with tears as Denali emerged from the shadows, holding a cake with both hands while carefully singing to not blow the candles. The song was barely done but Rosé blew out her candles quickly, taking the cake from Denali and putting it on the couch before embracing her tightly. 

"Why…" Rosé's voice cracked. "You scared me. I thought something happened to you!"

Denali laughed lightly, apologizing to Rosé as she kissed her temple. "I won't ever do that again, I'm sorry," she promised, pulling away from the hug. She looked Rosé in the eyes, pouting a little. "You didn't make a wish," she complained. 

"I didn't have to," Rosé replied, placing a soft kiss on Denali's lips. "I have everything I could ever want, right here." She leaned in, closing the gap between them once more---the soft kiss slowly turning more passionate with every second. They have done this more times than they could remember and Denali knew it was only a matter of time before they both lose control---before she gives in. And that can't happen, she still had plans. 

Denali pushed Rosé away, confusing the other. "As much as I want to skip to dessert," she said, brushing her nose against Rosé's. "I want you to try something I cooked for you." 

They walked into the kitchen, flipping on the switch. The wonderful smell of something savory met Rosé's nostrils, instantly stirring up her appetite. "Wow," she said, sitting down on the chair Denali pulled out for her. "This looks amazing." At the center of the table was a steaming hot bowl of Mole and some white rice to pair it with. Rosé took a bite, slowly melting into her seat with the explosion of flavor in her mouth. She hummed her phrases, unable to say anything. Denali chuckled, taking a spoon from the side and taking a mouthful. 

"My mom taught me how to cook this as my way to a man's heart," she said, smiling with amusement at the memory that played in her mind. "Apparently, this isn't the way to someone's heart." 

"And what is?" Rosé asked, beginning to laugh. 

"Drunk kissing in the elevator," Denali finished with a serious face before bursting out in a hearty laugh with the woman in front of her. 

"Well, you're not wrong," Rosé agreed, grabbing another bite. Denali reached over to wipe some sauce off of Rosé's lips. The couple continued to eat their dinner, exchanging in a pleasant conversation about the things that made the night special. 

*

"What now?" Rosé asked after finishing her second glass of wine. She lied back into the couch, patting her belly. Denali walked over, pulling Rosé up. "It's time for my second gift," she said. Rosé raised her eyebrows, standing up to follow Denali towards wherever the other was going to lead her. 

"You have a second gift?" Rosé asked. "Does that mean there's a third?"

Denali winked, leading Rosé towards the bedroom. 

"Maybe."

Rosé gasped when they entered. On the wall was a white linen, spread neatly; and at the foot of the bed was a projector. She could see her favorite movie, _Ever After_ , plugged into the laptop connected to the projector. There was also a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries sitting on top of the dresser. She turned to Denali, smiling gratefully. Her eyes were welling up again.

"Utica called," Denali began. "She thought you were home and wanted to greet you a happy birthday and when I said you were at work and that you didn't even remember it was your birthday today, she said she wasn't surprised." She placed her hand gently on Rosé's cheek. "Why is that?"

Rosé chewed on her lower lip, hesitating. There was fear, anger, grief and hatred in her eyes and Denali wished she would be able to open up more, but she also knew things like this shouldn't be rushed. 

"I think I should give you my third gift now," Denali said, boring her eyes into Rosé's hesitant gaze. 

"Rosie, I love you."

A soft gasp escaped Rosé's lips. 

"You've been telling me for the past five months how much you love me and the only reason why I didn't say it back was because I honestly don't know how to put it into words," Denali said softly. "And I realized I didn't have to. I just have to tell you that I love you and show you how much through my actions." She pulled Rosé closer, leaning her forehead against hers. "I'm only asking you why you don't like celebrating your birthday or talking about your family because I want to understand you better. If you tell me, great. If you don't, that won't make me love you any less. Okay?"

Rosé sobbed, letting her head fall onto Denali's shoulder. 

"Okay, Rosie?" Denali asked once more, earning a snow nod from Rosé. 

"Okay," came Rosé's weak response. She sniffled, looking up at Denali before sighing in awe. "God, can you be any more perfect?" Denali chuckled, leading Rosé onto the bed before clicking play on the movie. 

She never gets tired of rewatching _Ever After_ but in that moment, Rosé couldn't keep her attention on the movie. All she could think about were the words Denali delivered earlier. There was a reason why she couldn't keep relationships for long. She never opened up enough for anyone. She loved Denali but she knew at some point the other will tire of trying to find out her secrets. She was sure that at some point, they would end. 

But hearing those words stirred something up in her heart. 

She looked down in her arms where Denali was giggling, watching Drew Barrymore carry Dougray Houston away from the group of bandits that robbed them. She placed a soft kiss on Denali's forehead, taking the other by surprise.

"What?" Denali asked, looking up at Rosé. 

The latter shook her head, smiling. "Nothing, I just love you," she replied. "So much."

Denali narrowed her eyes, flipping on her stomach. "You're not even watching!" she complained, lightly hitting Rosé's arm. The latter laughed, catching Denali's hands and flipping their positions. She pinned her down on the bed, holding her hands above her head. 

"I would honestly just rather watch you," Rosé said. She gazed lovingly at her beloved, watching the lights from the movie reflect off her hazel eyes. "I could watch you forever." 

"Then maybe you should put a ring on it and watch me forever," Denali shrugged. She said it half-jokingly but a part of her knew she meant it. If Rosé asked, she knew exactly what she would answer. 

A little chuckle escaped Denali's lips when she saw the slight panic in Rosé's face. 

"Or maybe not," she said, smiling in amusement. She shook Rosé's grip loose from her hands, pulling the latter by her shirt. "Whatever you choose, I'll still love you." She placed a gentle kiss on Rosé's lips, whispering as they pulled away. "Happy birthday, Rosie." 

In one swift move, she flipped their positions, taking a piece of the chocolate-covered strawberries as she straddled Rosé. 

"Now for the final gift," she said, slowly licking the chocolate coating on the strawberry. Rosé's mouth was watering---whether it was because she craved the sweets or she craved Denali, she didn't know. Denali smirked, bringing the piece of fruit closer to her lips.

"Time for the desert, birthday girl."


	7. Chapter 7

The door clicked, followed by the soft click-clacking of Denali's heels; however, this was not enough to catch the attention of Rosé who was mindlessly staring at her phone. 

"What's that?" Denali asked, peeking behind the screen where she was able to read two words, 'grandma' and 'house', before Rosé locked her phone.

"Uhm, nothing," Rosé replied, reaching out to pull Denali, who narrowed her eyes at her, to sit on her lap. It took a moment of glaring at each other before Rosé cracked, raising her hand in defeat. "Okay, it was my aunt asking me to come to their house for my grandma's 90th birthday this coming Saturday," she sighed. Denali's face lit up.

"So are you going?" Denali asked, to which Rosé shrugged. Snaking her arms around the latter's neck, Denali smiled tightly knowing the inner turmoil Rosé had been trying to settle for the past weeks. After her declaration of being willing to wait for Rosé to open up about her family, Denali could see the struggle inside Rosé.   
She untangled her arms from Rosé's neck to place her palm against the latter's cheek. "Look," she said. "If you want to see your grandma but are scared to go alone, then I'll go with you." 

Rosé looked at Denali in surprise. 

"We can check in a hotel if you don't wanna stay in your house," Denali continued to suggest. Rosé stared at her, obviously thinking about the suggestion. "No pressure, Rosie," Denali assured her, getting up from their position. "I just want you to know you have that option." 

Rosé smiled, nodding as Denali excused herself to get changed. She thought about the suggestion. She hadn't seen her grandmother since...well, since she decided to never see her family again. It brought a bittersweet feeling to her because she was the closest to her grandmother and to stay away from her because of issues she couldn't face was something that Rosé never imagined she could do but she did. 

Being too lazy to cook up dinner, the couple decided to just order some pizza and put on a movie. While they were flopped down on the floor, enjoying the food and entertainment, Rosé finally came to a decision. 

"Let's go." She spoke out of the blue that Denali didn't get what she was saying until she clarified it. "To my grandma's birthday this weekend."

Denali broke into a soft smile. She knew that somehow this was a step towards the healing Rosé needed. She leaned over to kiss Rosé's forehead before grabbing her phone to file the leave. 

"Oh, and uh, by the way," Denali said, as she typed in the message. "You don't have to introduce me as your girlfriend or anything if you don't want to. I totally understand." She knew that something like this needed time but to her surprise, Rosé shook her head with a smile. 

"I want to," Rosé said with conviction. "And I will introduce you as my girlfriend because that's who you are."

Denali shook her head in disbelief at Rosé's sappiness, before hitting send on her phone. 

*

"What the fuck…"

Denali stared at the vast estate in front of her. She kind of knew Rosé was well-off based on what she learned from her interaction with Utica but she didn't think she was _this_ well-off. 

"Don't forget to close your mouth, baby. A fly might go in and choke you," Rosé joked with a laugh. Denali glared at her but still followed her towards the house---nope, manor. Outside of the manor were white tents, filled with people who came to celebrate with the family. 

"So is this like, your family manor, or…?" Denali nudged Rosé, who shook her head. 

"This is my aunt's house. All of the siblings get their own estate when they get married," she replied, kicking a stone off the pebble patch they were walking on.  
"My great-grandparents built their fortune on real estate and it was passed down onto my grandparents and then their kids, of course." She looked around, taking in the cool breeze blowing across the open area. "The place I grew up in was just like this, although the architectural design was a bit more modern."

Denali wanted to ask why Rosé was not in the same industry but she felt that it may be related to the sore spot in Rosé's relationship with her family, so she held her tongue back. As promised, Rosé introduced Denali as her girlfriend to everyone who went their way and welcomed her home. They got a few disapproving glances from the other guests but Rosé didn't seem to mind and that gave Denali the courage to do the same. They were settling into their seat when a man walked up towards them, smiling gleefully. 

"Rosé!" 

Denali looked over before Rosé did---her eyes landing on a handsome man who could pass up as a lead actor in a romance movie. 

"Andrew?!" Rosé exclaimed, standing up from her seat to embrace the man. Denali only watched the exchange, feeling amused at the sight of Rosé warmly interacting with others. "This is Denali, my girlfriend," Rosé introduced, taking Denali out of her trance. "Nali, this is Andrew, my cousin."

Denali shook the hand extended towards her, smiling amiably. 

"Your parents didn't tell me you were coming," Andrew said, turning his head towards Rosé. 

"Oh, they didn't know I was coming," Rosé replied. For a moment, Andrew's face was that of gloom and regret but he was quick to plaster a smile back up as he turned towards Denali. 

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Denali," he said with a wave. "See you guys later!" He walked off to find his seat, leaving the couple to their own devices. 

"He's cute."

Rosé snapped her head towards Denali who just said two words she didn't like to hear. Denali broke into a mischievous smile, shrugging. 

"Too bad he's not my type," she continued, nonchalantly fixing her dress. 

"And what _is_ your type?" Rosé asked, picking up on the banter that was about to begin. 

"Well," Denali sighed, furrowing her eyebrows to feign some thoughts. "I like someone who's caring, and kind, and sensitive, and won't tell people about my drunk kissing incidents---" Rosé fought back a smile. "Oh!" Denali exclaimed. "Pink hair would be the cherry on top!" Rosé laughed. "Like, that would be so sexy, don't you think?" Denali asked, looking around. "Do you have any cousins with pink hair?" 

Rosé jokingly glared at Denali before placing a kiss on her cheek. "You're so adorable," she laughed. Denali was about to say something but someone cleared their throats in front of them; she saw Rosé tense up in just a matter of seconds. 

"We didn't know you were coming," the middle-aged man said in a low voice. Behind him, a woman of the same age was approaching, helping an elderly woman towards the table. 

"Well, I didn't come here for you," Rosé sharply replied, standing up with Denali in tow. The latter smiled politely at the man before following Rosé. They met with the elderly woman, who Denali assumed to be Rosé's grandmother, and she was right. 

"Gammy, this is Denali," Rosé said in a gentle voice. "My girlfriend."

The elderly woman smiled at Denali, extending her arm for the younger to take. Denali walked closer, smiling politely at Rosé's grandma. 

"Oh! Such lovely dimples!" Gammy exclaimed with delight, her heavy Scottish accent making her comment sound warmer as her eyes curled up with a smile. 

"Thank you, Gammy," Denali said, gently squeezing the elder's hand. "I hope you don't mind me calling you Gammy, too." 

"Oh, not at all, dear," Gammy replied, patting Denali's hand. She turned to the woman beside her, smiling with delight. "Such a lovely child, don't you think so, Nora?" 

Denali looked over to the middle-aged woman, assuming that she was Rosé's mother. The woman nodded with a tight smile, quickly glancing over to Rosé who paid no attention to her. 

"Let's get you to your seat, Gammy," Rosé said, taking her grandmother's hand to help her to her seat. They talked for a while and Denali watched the exchange with delight, slightly forgetting about the tension between the other side of the table and theirs. The short program began, with some of the other grandchildren singing songs for Gammy and some dedicating well-wishes. 

All throughout the celebration, Rosé had one hand on Gammy's hand and the other, holding Denali's hand tightly. The time came for lunch and the people began to line up for the buffet. Gammy asked Rosé to accompany her to greet some relatives while Denali offered to get them their food. She was standing in line, waiting when she heard a soft voice from behind her. 

"I don't think she has any plans of formally introducing us to each other so I'll go ahead and do just that."

Denali turned to see Rosé's mom smiling gently at her. 

"I'm Rosé's mom," the woman said, extending her hand for Denali to shake. Denali took the hand she offered and cordially shook it. 

"Denali Zuckerman, Rosé's girlfriend," she replied with a smile. "It's really nice to meet you Mrs. McCorkell." 

"Please, just call me Nora." Denali smiled, nodding as they took a few steps closer or the buffet table. "I see, you girls are going pretty serious, huh," Nora said with a contented smile. Denali glanced over to where Rosé was, a smile forming on her lips. 

"Yes, I think we are," she agreed. This was the first time she had ever felt so sure of what she was feeling and she loved it. 

"Thank you," Nora said, making Denali turn her eyes back at her. "I haven't seen her smile the way she did when she was with you since the last time we saw each other." Denali wanted to ask when that was but then again, she wanted to hear everything first from Rosé, so she didn't ask. Instead, she just smiled and said she was glad to know the fact. 

After getting their plates full, Denali walked back to their table, making small talk with Nora about her work and daily life with Rosé. Their hearty laugh, however, dissipated when Rosé arrived and her father spoke. 

"It's nice of you to grace us with your presence."

Denali felt Rosé tense up beside her, although the latter paid no attention to her father. 

"You show up here and think you can give us the cold shoulder?" he continued, anger evident in his voice despite his calm delivery. 

"I just told you I didn't come here for you," Rosé replied quietly, not looking up from her plate. "7 years and your egoistic shit is still the only thing you can offer."

"Sweetie---"

Nora was cut short by the cold glare Rosé was flashing her. 

"Don't start with me," Rosé said sharply. "I picked a table as far away from all of you but here you are approaching me and demanding me to talk to you? I don't give a fuck if you kneel and beg. I. Did. Not. Fucking. Come. Here. For. You. Both." 

Denali held Rosé's hand in an attempt to calm her down. 

"I came for Gammy," Rosé clenched her jaw as she turned her head back to her father. "So get your head out of your ass because I don't plan on seeing you ever again after this."

There was a long, heavy silence at the table. Denali kept her hands on Rosé's hoping to ease the latter's anger. With a loud grunt, Rosé's father left the table; Nora followed quickly behind, flashing an apologetic look at Denali. 

After a while, Rosé stood up and left, shaking Denali's hand off of hers. 

"Rosie!" Denali called after her. "Rosie, wait!" She caught up with her by the car, grabbing Rosé's arm and turning her to face her. "Rosie, talk to me."

"We're going back now," Rosé said firmly.

Denali sighed. "You can't drive in this condition, babe," she said calmly. Rosé only looked away. "Calm down first and at least say a proper goodbye to Gammy or something. Look, I don't know what happened with your family but---"

"Exactly!" Rosé yelled. "You don't know what happened because you're not my family!" 

It was only when Denali let go of her arm defeatedly that she realized what she said and how wrong it was. To say those words to Denali. To lash out at Denali for something that she wasn't involved with, in the first place. 

"Nali...I…" Rosé struggled. "That's not---"

Denali took the car keys from Rosé's hand and circled around to the driver's seat. 

"Get in," she said blankly. "I'll drive."

*

They pulled up in the parking space of their apartment. Their trip back was filled with nothing but deafening silence; Rosé had a lot of things to say to Denali but somehow she couldn't bring herself to. She watched as Denali unbuckled her own seatbelt, replying to a text message as she did so. 

Rosé bit her lip, deciding to end her hesitation and just apologize to Denali. 

"Nali---"

"I was expecting that we'd be back on Monday so I gave up my spot for a conference that starts tomorrow," Denali spoke, cutting Rosé off. "Apparently no one else is available to go anyways, so I told them we're back and that I'll go." She looked at Rosé, unable to mask the hurt in her eyes. "We could both use the space, I think."

"Nali, you know that's not what I meant," Rosé said, taking Denali's hand. 

"Yes, I know," Denali agreed, giving hope to Rosé that they could fix it before the sun came down. "But I also know that you're right." The hope in Rosé's eyes was shattered. "I don't know what happened because I'm not your family and I will never know unless you tell me."

Rosé fell silent. 

"And I want to know," Denali sighed. "Because, honestly? Aside from what I see everyday, I feel like I don't know you at all."

Rosé looked right back at Denali. She had heard that phrase way too many times and she knew where this road could lead. Whether or not it leads to that was all up to her. 

Was she ready to tell Denali? 

"You're not ready to tell me yet." Denali didn't ask. She declared it as if to answer the unsaid question for Rosé. She pulled her hand away from Rosé's grasp and looked away before stepping out of the car. 

"I'll see you on Wednesday."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mentions of death; heavy themes up ahead.

Rosé laid on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. She had finished cleaning up the whole house and finished all her work and she was tired. Physically, and maybe even moreso, emotionally. She had tried calling Denali but the latter did not pick up. 

'I'll see you on Wednesday.' 

Rosé ran her hands through her hair in frustration. It was only Monday. She so badly wanted to see Denali and look her in the eyes and properly apologize to her. And maybe finally tell her everything. She was still undecided. She needed to see Denali, that was all she was sure of. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She immediately picked up after seeing Utica on the caller ID. 

"Hey, girl, uhm, can you come over?" 

Rosé sat up, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why? Is everything okay?" she asked in worry. 

"Oh yeah!" Utica replied. "It's just that, Gammy's here."

*

Rosé knocked on Utica's door and not a moment later, it opened, revealing her grandmother sitting delightfully on the couch. 

"Gammy? Why are you here?" Rosé asked, rushing to hug her grandma. The elderly woman gave a gentle pat on Rosé's back before pulling away. 

"Well, I wanted to surprise you but didn't know where you lived and so I came by to see Utica," Gammy explained. She held Rosé's hand, looking her granddaughter straight in the eye. "Andrew was getting his gift from his car when you and Denali left and he overheard you lashing out and told me about it." Rosé looked away but Gammy nudged her. "Look at me. I want you to answer my question truthfully. Okay?" 

Rosé turned her gaze back to her grandmother. 

"Do you love Denali?" 

Rosé nodded. 

"Then you shouldn't let your anger cause a rift between you two," Gammy continued. She pointed a finger at Rosé, furrowing her eyebrows. "I know you know that more than your parents, you are angry at yourself for not being able to do anything. But, darling, you have to let go. Of that anger. And him."

Rosé began to tear up. 

"How many birthdays have you stopped celebrating? Hmm?" Gammy asked, and Rosé sobbed. "You think I don't know how you tortured yourself for what happened? I know. Just like I know that it's time for you to let him go. Don't waste what you have with Denali just because of that anger." Gammy put her arm around Rosé as the latter cried. "Is Denali at home?"

Rosé shook her head. "She's in a conference," she replied. "She's not supposed to return until Wednesday."

"And you are not supposed to wait until Wednesday!" Gammy exclaimed. "Go to her! Apologize! And most of all…" Gammy placed both her hands on Rosé's cheeks. "Let her in. If you truly love her...then at the end of the day, she is all you have." 

*

It was almost midnight when Rosé arrived in front of the hotel where Denali was staying. She paid Priyanka a visit to ask her where Denali was and without wasting any time, she drove there. Rosé pulled out a phone from her pocket, smiling to herself as she dialled Denali's number. 

"Utica?" Denali's voice sounded from the other line. Rosé held back a chuckle. She borrowed Utica's phone to make sure Denali would pick up when she called. 

"I'm right outside your hotel," Rosé said. Denali immediately recognized her voice and tensed up. "I'm not leaving until we talk."

A few minutes later, Denali emerged from the front door of the hotel, motioning for the valet to take the car from Rosé. She walked over to the car, tapping on the window. Rosé got off, handing the keys to the valet before following Denali into the hotel and into her room. 

Rosé entered the room, waiting for Denali to close the door---and when it clicked, she immediately reached out to pull Denali into her embrace. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her tears began to well up as she buried her chin into Denali's shoulder. "I really am." 

Denali sighed finally putting her arms around Rosé. She put one hand on Rosé's head, gently caressing her hair as she whispered words of forgiveness. They had no idea for how long they stayed like that but it was long enough for Rosé to exhaust all her strength. Denali smiled to herself as Rosé pulled away with tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. 

"I think you should get some sleep," Denali suggested, earning a weak nod from Rosé. She helped her onto the bed, tucking her in with a kiss on the forehead. Denali was about to get up and continue reading the materials for the next day of the conference but Rosé held onto her hand tightly, silently pleading for Denali to stay beside her. 

Denali sighed, agreeing to keep Rosé company. Deep inside, she knew exactly how Rosé was feeling---she felt miserable too. She didn't leave because she was mad at Rosé. She left because she was disappointed, mostly in herself. She promised she wouldn't love Rosé any less if she didn't want to open up but a part of her feels locked out of her own relationship because of whatever burden Rosé was carrying on her shoulders. 

Was she doing enough? Was she being too much? Denali kept asking herself these questions from the moment she walked away from the car on that fateful Saturday night. When she saw the defeated look on Rosé's face, she found the answers to her questions. She wasn't doing enough. At least not enough to love and understand Rosé unconditionally. 

Gently, Denali ran her fingers through Rosé's hair. The latter had fallen asleep, drained from all the crying she just did. 

"I'm sorry," Denali whispered. "I shouldn't have left." She leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on Rosé's forehead before slowly getting off of the bed to continue reading on the study table. 

By the time Rosé woke up, Denali had just got out of the shower. 

"Want some coffee?" Denali asked as she dried her hair with a towel. Rosé nodded, stretching out her limbs before getting out of the bed. Denali was busy operating the coffee machine when she felt a familiar pair of arms circle around her waist. 

"His name was Harvey." 

Denali froze for a moment before turning around to face Rosé. 

_Was._

"He was my younger brother," Rosé continued, leaning onto the table behind her. "I used to pray everyday to have a baby brother and when he finally came, I was the happiest." She sighed looking down on the floor as she continued her story. 

"About 7 years ago, I came home a day before my birthday because Harvey said he had a whole day planned for me. We usually celebrate my birthday out of town but since Harvey made plans, I said okay. We were going to just stay at home and go along with his surprise birthday bash for me. 

When I got home that night, I overheard him and our parents arguing in my father's study. Harvey told me they've been on edge for the past days after he told them he didn't want to go to college and my dad...well, that didn't sit well with him. Harvey was a great singer and he always wanted to audition on American Idol or something to make his way into the music industry but dad hated the idea."

Tears were beginning to well up in Rosé's eyes. Denali moved and sat on the table, just beside Rosé, holding her hand to offer a sense of comfort. 

"When I entered the room, my dad was screaming for Harvey to just pack up and leave and never return if he wasn't going to college anyway. I stepped in to tell them to calm down but he was already out the door. So I did the next best thing. I followed him out. He had already sped off in his car so I got in mine and trailed him.   
I kept calling his cell to get him to pull over but he didn't." 

Her voice began to crack as she continued. 

"By the time I got there, there was a whole crowd gathering up...an accident," Rosé struggled. "The uhm…the driver of the truck...fell asleep at the wheel and uhm… got into the opposite lane. And when he tried to swerve back into his correct lane, the cargo he was carrying tipped over and…"

A tear rolled down Rosé's cheek. No matter how hard she tried not to cry, the tears fell.

"We couldn't even recognize him when they retrieved his body," she sobbed. "After we buried him, I just left home without a word and never returned until Gammy's birthday. I've been using the excuse that I was mad at my parents for setting him off but I was actually mostly mad at myself for not being able to do anything." 

Rosé wiped the tears away from her eyes and looked at Denali. 

"After that, I never celebrated any of my birthdays," she said. "Because it felt wrong. And it felt like it was the only way I can make up for everything that happened. 

I can't live with guys anymore either. That's why I moved out of my place before, when my roommate was going to let her boyfriend move in. Somehow having a guy around reminded me of Harvey." 

Rosé smiled wistfully.

"He loved eating the cereals out of the box and drinking the milk from the carton. Then he would do this little dance to...in his words…`mix them together’. It pissed mom off," Rosé chuckled. "But that was him. That's Harvey." She looked over at Denali, her eyes once again watering. "He used to write songs too, and I would always be the first person he'd sing it to." 

Rosé sighed as she smiled tightly, trying to fight back the tears that were eager to pour out. 

"I miss him. Every day. And every day, I wish I could have done something to save him."

Denali wrapped Rosé in a tight embrace, feeling for her beloved. She's never lost anyone dear to her and she couldn't imagine the pain Rosé must have felt all these years. 

"I've been trying hard to move on from it and be a better person but I just can't," Rosé sighed in defeat. Denali tightened her embrace, gently running her hands on Rosé's arm as she replied. 

"Well, I think being able to open up and tell someone about it, is a step towards that." Rosé looked up and she was met by Denali's gentle smile. "Thank you for telling me," Denali continued. "Harvey sounds like a great person to be around with."

A look of melancholy washed over Rosé's features as she nodded. "Maybe I'll tell you more about him someday," she said, earning a nod from Denali. 

"That would be lovely."

*

Rosé spent the rest of the day in the hotel room, waiting for Denali to finish her workshops, just browsing on the shows being screened on the television. Utica had dropped by a few minutes after Denali went to her first workshop to exchange phones with Rosé. She gave Rosé a meaningful look after noticing that the sparkle was back in Rosé's eyes. It was after Utica left that Rosé began her misadventures with the random television shows. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep but when she woke up, Denali was back in their room getting changed. 

"Aren't you going home?" Denali asked when she noticed that Rosé had woken up from her sleep. 

"I don't wanna go home," Rosé complained. Her eyes wandered over the clock and noticed that it was almost six in the evening. Denali chuckled, shaking her head at Rosé's stubbornness 

"But what about your clothes?" Denali asked. "Do you mean to tell me you're not going to get showered until tomorrow when we check out?" 

Rosé shrugged. "I don't know," she sighed. "Lend me some clothes or something. All I know is I don't wanna go home." 

Denali rolled her eyes, grabbing a towel from the rack, and a fresh piece of underwear, a hoodie, and a pair of sweatpants from her luggage. She threw it all towards Rosé, telling the latter to shower. 

"Hey!" Rosé exclaimed. "This is _my_ hoodie!" She waved the gray piece of clothing in the air with her eyes wide in shock. 

"Conjugal property." 

The words came so naturally from Denali that she didn't realize what that implied until she noticed the shock on Rosé's face---and when she did, she, too, was surprised by her own words. 

"Ish," she added, looking away from Rosé. Not a second later she turned to Rosé pointing a finger at her. "Hey, just because I left home with a temper doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you. Besides, I didn't leave because I was mad at you. I left because I was disappointed in myself for feeling like I was entitled to knowing everything about your past, when I clearly haven't even told you much about my past either."

Rosé stood up and walked towards Denali with a huge grin. "So you missed me?" she asked and Denali stared at her in disbelief. 

"Of everything I said, that's all you picked up?" she asked and Rosé laughed. The latter pulled Denali in a tight embrace slowly swinging her. 

"You are entitled to know everything about my past," Rosé said. "Because you're in my present. And honestly, I'm sure you will tell me everything about your past too." She pulled away to bore her eyes into Denali's brown orbs. "In the future." 

It was Denali's turn to be taken by surprise. 

"Yes, Nali, I see you in my future and I know you see me in yours too," Rosé said with a little smile. "I haven't been missing the not-so-subtle clues you've been dropping, you know." 

Rosé placed a soft kiss on Denali's forehead before grabbing the stuff the latter was lending her and walking towards the bathroom. Denali was still frozen in her place trying to process what she had just heard from Rosé when the pink-hair popped out from the bathroom doorway, flashing a teasing smile and delivering a quick wink. 

"Don't worry baby, when I find the perfect ring, I'll pop the question."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains a link for the song that will be mentioned along the way. play it from that point on for added feels!

"I'm really sorry, baby, but this is important."

Denali frowned as she watched Rosé pack her bag. They were supposed to go on a date the next day but to Denali's Dismay, her girlfriend cancelled at the last minute. Rosé had to meet with some people and will be staying for at least three days to finish some work. The past month had been very hectic for the both of them; they hadn't seen each other a lot due to the conflict in their schedules and for their date to get cancelled was almost heartbreaking for Denali. She had been looking forward to it since the day they marked their calendars for it. 

It wasn't that she didn't understand Rosé. It was just, she couldn't understand why the universe decided to spoil their date with work. 

"I'll be back before you know it." Rosé's voice broke Denali's train of bitter thoughts. She felt a quick peck on her lips before Rosé walked past her. Unsatisfied by the half-hearted kiss she received, she reached out to pull Rosé by the hand, crashing their lips together. Not a moment later, Denali heard the bag hit the floor and felt Rosé arms wrap around her waist. Denali deepened the kiss, before moving down to Rosé's neck to leave a mark. Rosé moaned at the sensation, barely keeping her thoughts intact as Denali pulled away, glaring at her. 

"You better not be meeting anyone else behind my back or else…" the younger threatened. 

"Or else what?" Rosé taunted, raising an eyebrow. Denali stared angrily at her for a while before beginning to pout. 

"Or else I will cry and no one can ever make me stop," she finally said, now fully sulking at Rosé. The latter's lips formed into a smile before placing not one but two delicate pecks on Denali's lips. 

"I would never dare look at anyone else, baby, I promise you that." 

Denali sighed before wiping the frown off her face. "Fine. Just...call me when you can okay?" She looked sadly at Rosé who gave a quick nod. After one final embrace, Rosé picked up her bag and went on her way, leaving Denali to feel all alone.

After taking a shower, Denali grabbed one of Rosé's shirts from the closet and threw it on, basking in the familiar scent of the woman she missed. This wasn't the first time Rosé had to work away for a couple of days but it felt like it was. She climbed onto the bed and curled up in a ball, burying her nose into the sleeves of the shirt until she fell deep into slumber. 

Denali spent the next day drowning herself with work just so she could take her mind off of Rosé's absence and their cancelled date. It was a successful ruse---until she got home. Immediately, the house felt empty, knowing that Rosé wasn't coming back that night. She thought about giving Rosé a call but she decided against it because she thought that the less interruptions she makes, the quicker Rosé would finish her work and come home. Instead, she dialled the number of the person she knew could give her the most comfort she needed. 

"Hi, mom." Denali almost sobbed when she heard her mother reply from the other side of the line. 

"Hey, pumpkin! How are you?" 

Denali flopped down on the couch, sighing deeply. "I'm...not so okay," she said truthfully.

"Why?" Her mom's worried voice sounded. "Did something happen?"

Denali shook her head as if her mother could see her. "No," she replied. "I just...Maybe it's just me but I feel like Rosé and I are going downhill." She heard her mother sigh but say nothing, a sign that the other was waiting for her to continue. "We've been quite busy with work and we were supposed to go on a date today but she cancelled. We've been planning for it since a couple of weeks back but at the last minute she said she had to meet some clients and not just that, she has to leave for three days!" 

Denali was fuming by the time she finished her sentence. She didn't realize this angered her so much until she said all of that. "Whoa, pumpkin, calm down," came the loving voice from the other side of the line. There was a moment of utmost silence before Denali's mother continued. 

"How about, you invite her over for the weekend, say, next week?" she said. "Maybe it's finally time for you to introduce her to us?" She could sense Denali's hesitation. 

"Look, sweetie, relationships need work. If you want to make this work then you have to try a bit more. You can drive down here on Friday night after your work, and we can have supper together and then breakfast before your dad and I leave for his highschool reunion. We won't be back until Sunday night so you girls have the house to yourselves for at least a whole day. Y'all can do whatever you want. Just don't forget to clean up and change the bedsheets." 

"Mom!" Denali exclaimed, blushing at her mom's final statement. She heard her mother laugh and then, she realized that maybe she was this angry because she was also sexually frustrated. She thought maybe they could do it that night but no, cancelled. "Fine," she finally agreed. "I'll talk to her about it when she returns. If she cancels again, that's it. I'm going to cry."

"Can't break up with her, can you?" her mother teased. 

"No." Denali pouted as she delivered her answer, not even wanting to think about breaking up with Rosé. 

A soft chuckle came from the other side of the line and Denali could almost swear it sounded like Rosé. But she pushed the thought aside, thinking she was hallucinating things because of how much she wanted to see her. 

"Okay, then," her mother said with finality. "Talk to her and then tell me if you girls are going because I need to fill up the fridge."

Denali smiled as she sank back into her couch. 

"Thanks, mom," she said. "I love you." 

"I love you, too, pumpkin," her mother replied, blowing a kiss into the mic before hanging up. 

*

When Rosé arrived the next day, she found Denali whipping up some mac and cheese in the kitchen. She quietly set her bag down on the floor before creeping up behind Denali.

"Boo!" Rosé shouted simultaneously with the stomping of her feet. To her surprise, Denali did not budge. Slowly, the latter turned to her with a little pout. "What's wrong?" Rosé asked worriedly. 

"Nothing, I just miss you."

Rosé sighed upon hearing the reply. She immediately pulled Denali into her embrace, gently squeezing the other's arms as she swayed her. "I miss you too, baby," Rosé replied. She leaned down to bury her face in Denali's hair, filling her senses with the sweet scent. 

"How about we go away this weekend?" Denali suggested, hoping that the other would say yes. Rosé pulled away, looking at her with interest. 

"Where are we going?" Rosé let her arms rest around Denali's waist as the latter put her arms around Rosé's neck. 

"I called my mom yesterday and she wanted to meet you," Denali said truthfully. She laid down the plans, gauging Rosé's reaction. To her dismay, Rosé had this unreadable expression on her face and by the time she finished her vacation pitch, she was nibbling on her lower lip in anticipation. "So?" she nervously asked. 

Rosé broke into a smile. "I'd like that," she said. Denali heaved a sigh of relief, letting her head fall on Rosé's shoulder. “Are you worried I would say no?” Rosé asked and Denali nodded. “Silly, I can’t say no to you even if I tried.”

“But you canceled on me the other day!” Denali protested, whipping her head up to glare at Rosé. The latter laughed, pulling her close again. 

“I know, baby, I’m sorry,” Rosé cooed. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Denali narrowed her eyes at Rosé. “How?” she asked.

“We can skip to dessert,” Rosé suggested with a wink. “Your mac and cheese is burnt anyways.”

Denali’s eyes widened in shock as she remembered that she was cooking. “Shit!” she exclaimed, pulling away from Rosé to get the pan off the stove. She cursed under her breath for getting distracted and wasting the food she was cooking. However, she was secretly rejoicing because she knew she would finally be cursing for a whole different reason later.

*  
Denali almost missed a step as she hurried down the steps of the building entrance to meet Rosé who was parked in front. She clocked out early so they could start their drive early as well. Rosé got up surprisingly early that day to shop for some snacks they could eat on their way. It was a 4-hour drive from their place to Denali’s parents’ house but Rosé was treating it like it was some sort of an excursion---not that Denali was complaining. It’s been long since she saw Rosé this excited about something and she loved it. 

So when Rosé handed her a dress she had never seen before, asking her to change into it while they stopped for some gas, Denali heeded. She went into the restroom to change into the new dress while Rosé filled up their gas tank. About fifteen minutes later, Denali came out, taking Rosé’s breath away. Denali had let her hair down; the soft curls that came from her bun were blowing gently against the wind as she made her way down to the car. The dress fit her perfectly; the light blue shade embellished with little floral details brought out the feminine side of Denali that Rosé loved so much. She looked like she came straight out of a movie and Rosé could feel herself falling in love all over again. 

Denali noticed the look Rosé was giving her so she decided to twirl playfully before asking Rosé what she thought of her look. 

“You look perfect,” Rosé said, almost in a whisper, still unable to take her eyes off Denali. 

“Well, your taste in clothing is superior so I guess it’s all thanks to you,” Denali replied with a giggle. It was only then that she noticed that Rosé was in a pair of jeans and blouse that she had never seen before either. The color tones of the outfit Rosé was wearing matched hers. Rosé was wearing a pair of high waisted light blue jeans and a white polo that had a low neckline, pretty much the same as her dress.

“You really bought new clothes for the both of us just to make an impression, huh?” Denali teased as they both got back in the car. Rosé only shrugged, pulling out of the gas station. They continued their drive and it wasn’t long until they arrived.

The house was a cozy bungalow set up right in front of the beach. Denali’s parents decided to sell their old house and move out here after her father’s retirement and so far, both Helena and William Zuckerman were enjoying their life far from the bustling city life where Denali grew up.

“Where are they?” Denali asked when she realized all the lights were out. She immediately got out of the car as soon as Rosé finished parking, trying to reach her mom, but the phone call kept dropping. Denali furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to dial one more time. “This is not a joke…”

Her words trailed off when an array of lights lit up from post to post, creating a pathway towards the beach. 

“...Is it?” Denali finished her sentence, looking both shocked and amused at the feat. she felt Rosé take her hand and lead her through the pathway. As they walked along the sand, Denali noticed a whole bunch of photos clipped on a wire, gently illuminated by the lights above it. They were photos of her; all of which she didn’t know existed. They were shots taken of her doing even the most mundane things in the place she called home with Rosé. She looked at each one of them, recognizing the quality of the photos that surely was a product of Rosé favorite film camera. 

It was all beginning to make sense to her. What the Rosé’s excitement was about. The dress. All of it. 

A few more steps took them right where they should be---at the beach, right in front of their closest friends and loved ones. 

Denali took a look around with tears brimming in her eyes as she saw her friends, Joey, Kahmora and Mik. Utica was there too, standing beside Rosé’s cousin Andrew, and Gammy. And of course, her parents were there, even Aunt Tami was there, looking proudly at her. She turned to yell at Rosé for making all this up but she choked on her words when she realized what the other was doing.

Rosé pulled a velvet box out of her pocket, taking Denali’s hand in hers. 

“Remember when I told you I’ll propose when I find the perfect ring?” Rosé asked with a smile. “Well, I found it, baby, so here goes.”

Denali tried to hold back her tears as Rosé knelt to the ground, opening the velvet box to reveal a beautiful emerald ring. 

“Nali, I love you and I’ve never been more sure of anything other than I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Baby, will you marry me?”

It took a moment for Denali to find her voice and give her answer. With a nod, she said the word Rosé was hoping to hear. 

“Yes!”

Their friends and family all cheered around them as Rosé put the ring on Denali’s finger. Rosé stood up cupping Denali’s cheek to give her a kiss. 

“Thank you,” Rosé whispered as they pulled away, wiping the tears off of Denali’s cheek. 

“Wha--Where did you find this ring? And how did you prepare all this? Denali asked, out of breath from the euphoric feeling that washed over her. 

“Well, that’s Gammy’s engagement ring,” Rosé said proudly, looking over her grandmother who was in tears. “She gave it to me when I told her about my plans of marrying you. As for all this…”

__

_5 days ago._

_"You better not be meeting anyone else behind my back or else…" Denali threatened._

_"Or else what?" Rosé taunted, earning another angry look from Denali._

_"Or else I will cry and no one can ever make me stop," Denali finally replied and Rosé had to stop herself from laughing._

_"I would never dare look at anyone else, baby, I promise you that." Rosé said it with conviction. Denali had no clue what was in store for her._

_After one more reminder for Rosé to call her when she can, Denali finally let her go and Rosé was on her way._

_On her way to meet Denali’s parents. She stole their contact number from Denali’s phone and asked to meet with them. She didn’t plan for it to be on the same day as her planned date with Denali but there was no way she was cancelling on her girlfriend’s parents because she was about to do an important task: ask them for permission to marry their daughter._

_Rosé didn’t really believe in traditions like this but she wanted to do it out of respect for Denali’s parents. She understood that unlike her, Denali had a close relationship with her family and if Rosé wasn’t keeping this a surprise, Denali would probably tell her to ask for her parents blessing before asking her to marry her._

_Rosé was prepared for the worst when she knocked on that door but to her surprise she was greeted with the warmest hug by Denali’s mom, Helena._

_“Oh dear, oh my,” Helena gushed, looking over at Rosé. “You’re even prettier in person than in the photos!” Rosé laughed, thanking her for her compliment. Helena called her husband over, who gave the same warm welcome to Rosé._

_“I’m glad you called and asked to meet us,” William said as they settled in the dining table for some snacks. “Denali seems very happy whenever she calls and tells us about you.”_

_“By the way, why didn’t you bring her with you?” Helena asked, sitting beside Rosé._

_“Oh, I’m here to ask you something that Denali isn’t supposed to know,” Rosé replied. She pursed her lips as the husband and wife exchanged confused glances._

_“What is it, dear?” Helena asked, looking gently at Rosé. The younger cleared her throat before replying._

_“I want you guys to know that Denali was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rosé began. “She was like this ray of sunshine that just made everything better. And I don’t ever want that to end. I want to spend the rest of my life with your daughter, so I’m here to ask for your blessing to marry Denali.” She looked at both of them hopefully._

_After a minute of silence, William finally spoke up. “What if we say no?” he asked, looking seriously at the woman asking for her daughter’s hand._

_Rosé did not back down. She looked at him with the same seriousness. “I will still marry her,” she replied truthfully. “Because honestly, I can’t imagine life without her. Not after living the past year with her. I just can’t.”_

_The couple exchanged looks before breaking into a proud smile. Helena took Rosé’s hand, patting it gently as she said, “You have our blessing, dear.”_

_Rosé spent the rest of the night looking through old photo albums and listening to the growing up stories the couple were sharing about Denali. It was past midnight when the couple decided to retire to bed. On the other hand, Rosé was still full of energy from the welcome and blessing she got from Denali’s parents. She took out the velvet box from her bag and opened it. Inside was her grandmother’s engagement ring that was also passed down to her by her grandmother on her wedding day. She came to visit Gammy the other day to tell her about her plans about marrying Denali and to cheer her on, Gammy gave her the ring._

_The next day, after breakfast, Rosé came to accompany William to the fish market to get some fresh catch for lunch._

_“Were you surprised when you found out Denali was dating a woman?” Rosé asked as they walked back to the house. William smiled and shook his head._

_“I’m not sure if Denali remembers but when she was younger, she would always fall into a daze whenever she sees this one girl in her kindergarten class,” he said. “Every night at dinner she would talk about how beautiful that classmate of hers was. When their halloween party came, the girl came dressed as Cinderella. I remember her running up to me and saying, ‘Dada, I wanna marry Cinderella when I grow up!’ For the life of me, I don’t know why I never told her she can’t marry Cinderella because she’s a girl. I never told her she should marry Prince Charming instead. I guess I just felt happy with how happy Denali beamed the moment she said that.”_

_William looked over to Rosé and gave her a proud smile. “I’m glad she found her Cinderella.” His eyes were a bit misty from the tears that threatened to fall anytime. “Take good care of her, okay?” he asked, earning a nod from Rosé._

_“I promise,” Rosé replied, raising her hand in pledge._

_“You better keep your promise, young lady,” William said in an overly serious voice. “Or I’m turning you into a mouse by midnight!” Rosé laughed, realizing where Denali got her harmless threats from._

_After lunch, she spent some time with Helena in the garden, watering and weeding the plants. Rosé sighed when she realized how beautiful Denali’s family was._

_“Everything alright?” Helena asked, hearing the younger one sigh for the nth time that day.  
Rosé jolted up, immediately shaking her head. “Nothing, I just…” she sighed again. “I just wish my family was like this, too.”_

_Helena nodded, slightly understanding Rosé even without hearing the full story. “Well,” she shrugged. “We’re your family now, too.” Rosé looked at her in surprise. “You’re a wonderful person, dear. Denali is blessed to have found you.”_

_Rosé was filled with nothing but the purest form of bliss. She had not felt this much warmth from people she barely knew in a long time. If anything, she felt like she was the one who was blessed to have found people like Denali and her family._

_That night, they were busy laughing at Rosé’s story about her first encounter with Denali when Helena’s phone rang._

_“It’s Nali,” she said with a shocked look. William told her to answer it and put it on speaker and so she did. William and Rosé kept quiet as the conversation began._

_"Hi, mom." Denali’s voice was cracking and it broke Rosé’s heart because she knew what Denali was sulking about._

_"Hey, pumpkin! How are you?" Helena greeted cheerfully in an attempt to lift the mood. Unfortunately, the reply that came was, "I'm...not so okay.”_

_"Why?" Helena tried to sound as worried as she could. "Did something happen?"_

_"No," Denali replied. "I just...Maybe it's just me but I feel like Rosé and I are going downhill." Denali stopped for a moment before continuing. “We've been quite busy with work and we were supposed to go on a date today but she cancelled. We've been planning for it since a couple of weeks back but at the last minute she said she had to meet some clients and not just that, she has to leave for three days!"_

_Rosé shuddered at the anger in Denali’s voice. The couple flashed her a sorry look, clearly knowing how Denali was like when she was angry._

_"Whoa, pumpkin, calm down," Helena tried to soothe her daughter. She flashed a look at Rosé and smiled knowingly before speaking again. "How about, you invite her over for the weekend, say, next week? Maybe it's finally time for you to introduce her to us?" She looked over at Rosé who seemed mildly intrigued about where the suggestion was going._

_"Look, sweetie, relationships need work,” Helena continued after a moment. Denali’s hesitation was apparent and her mother was having none of that. “If you want to make this work then you have to try a bit more. You can drive down here on Friday night after your work, and we can have supper together and then breakfast before your dad and I leave for his highschool reunion. We won't be back until Sunday night so you girls have the house to yourselves for at least a whole day. Y'all can do whatever you want. Just don't forget to clean up and change the bedsheets."_

_Rosé blushed at the same time Denali screamed “Mom!” into the phone. The couple tried their best to keep themselves from laughing at the young ones._

_“Fine," Denali finally agreed. "I'll talk to her about it when she returns. If she cancels again, that's it. I'm going to cry."_

_"Can't break up with her, can you?" Helena teased, glancing over at Rosé who was grinning._

_"No." Rosé chuckled a bit too loudly upon hearing Denali’s answer. She only realized it when Helena signalled her to shush, quickly covering her mouth with her hands._

_"Okay, then," Helena quickly said to attempt to cover up Rosé’s voice. "Talk to her and then tell me if you girls are going because I need to fill up the fridge."_

_"Thanks, mom, I love you,” Denali replied before they hung up._

_Rosé removed her hands from her mouth and tilted her head in confusion. “So...am I supposed to act like I haven’t met you guys yet when we come over here on Friday?” she asked, looking at Helena._

_“That, or…” Helena trailed off, her eyes glimmering. “You can propose to her on Friday.” William stared at her in shock and Rosé in excitement. “I mean, do you really want to put it off for too long?” Helena reasoned. “You can tell us how you want to do it and we’ll help you with preparations.”_

_“Really? You would?” Rosé exclaimed. With a final affirmation from her future in-laws, the deal was sealed and the planning began._

__

*

“Told you she’s a keeper,” Joey nodded after Denali reiterated everything Rosé told her earlier. 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a brilliant one,” Denali replied, playfully rolling her eyes at Joey before looking over to where Rosé was being fawned over by her mom and Aunt Tami. 

They were gathered on the porch, hanging out with some drinks and stories, and most of all, happy thoughts for the newly engaged couple. As the night grew deeper, their friends left to go back to the hotel where they would be staying. Andrew and Gammy were supposed to drive back but after Denali’s parents insisted they stayed the night, they finally agreed. 

“And what about us?” Denali nudged her mom after Gammy and Andrew settled in the only guest room in the house. Her mother only grinned at her in reply. 

“I believe your wonderful wife-to-be over there has plans for both of you,” Helena replied, pointing towards Rosé who was washing the dishes. Denali gave her mom a suspicious look before walking over to Rosé. 

“Rosie, where are we staying tonight?” Denali asked, resting her chin on Rosé’s shoulder. 

“Are you tired?” the latter asked as she finished up the chore. Rosé turned around to get a good look at Denali who was nodding. “Well then, I guess we should get going then.” Rosé called out a good night to Helena and William before taking Denali back to their car. They drove for a good thirty minutes before they reached their destination. 

It was a villa that Rosé had rented for the weekend, situated at the edge of the town, looking over the calm midnight sea. Denali sighed in awe of the view as they walked towards the house. She chuckled, thinking about how extra Rosé was and how she could have prepared all of this in just five days. 

“What?” Rosé asked, looking over her shoulder to find Denali standing still in her place, just lovingly staring at her.

Denali shook her head with a smile. “Nothing,” she said. “I just can’t believe this is actually real. I feel like I must be dreaming.” Rosé walked back towards her, pulling her in for a soft, and gentle kiss. 

A mix of emotions exploded in Denali’s soul. She couldn’t explain exactly how she was feeling but she was feeling magical. She kept her eyes closed even after they pulled away from the kiss, not wanting the feeling to end. 

“Baby, look at me.” Rosé gently ran her thumb across Denali’s cheeks and the latter’s eyes fluttered open. “I love you.” She delivered the words with her whole heart and soul and as she looked into Denali’s eyes she knew, she would never tire of saying those words. 

*

Months after the magical proposal, the wedding preparations were almost done; their wedding outfits have been delivered, the venue has been booked, the invitations have been sent out. The only thing missing was the actual ceremony.

With only just a month to go before their final day, Rosé decided to go somewhere she didn’t like going to: Harvey’s grave. She felt like she needed to see him one last time before the wedding, just to know that it was okay for her to finally let him go and move on with her life. 

“Hey, Harvs,” Rosé greeted as she put a hand on his tombstone. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit you that often.I just...I couldn’t believe that you were really gone.” Rosé sniffled, wiping a tear away from her face. “I’m here today, though, because I wanted to tell you that I’m finally getting married. She’s an amazing woman and I think you two would have been great friends. Her name is Denali. She’s smart, and caring, and beautiful, and...she loves me so much I can’t even believe it sometimes.”

Rosé’s eyebrows knitted together as she became unable to hold back her tears. 

“I miss you, Harvs,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry. I wish I could have done more. I really do. But… I want to let you go now. I want to stop hating myself for what happened. Is that okay?” Her grip tightened around the cold rock as she continued to cry. “Denali, she… she deserves to have me completely,” Rosé continued. “And that won’t happen unless I let you go, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ll let you go now, Harvs. And I hope...I hope you’re proud of me.” She placed a kiss on her hand before running it across Harvey’s name. “I love you, Harvs.”

Rosé gave one last glance at her brother’s grave before walking away. She had only taken a step when she stopped in her tracks, recognizing the woman that was in front of her.

“Hi, sweetie.”

Her mother looked like she had been crying. Rosé realized that she must have been standing there long enough to hear everything she said on Harvey’s grave. 

“What are you doing here?” Rosé asked, too tired from crying to act hostile towards her mom. 

“Well, uhm,” her mom waved an iPod in the air with a tight smile. “We heard from Gammy that you’re getting married soon and I just wanted to give you this. You weren’t there when we were cleaning up Harvey’s room and uhm, there was a note on this that said this was a song for your wedding.” Nora took a cautious step to hand it over to Rosé. She heaved a sigh of relief when Rosé took it without any qualms, giving a tight smile before leaving. 

“How did you know I was here?” Rosé asked, making her mom turn around. 

“We went by to your place and Denali said you went to visit here and so we went here,” Nora replied. 

The mother and daughter stared at each other for a while. Nora was about to leave again when Rosé called after her with the name she never thought to hear again. 

“Mom,” Rosé called out and Nora looked at her hopefully. “Do you wanna, uhm... listen to it together?” She held out one of the earphones to her mom who gladly took it. They sat down in front of Harvey’s grave, staring at his name as the music played and his voice came on. 

‘Okay, Ro-ro-ro-your-boat! This isn’t an original song but I’m recording this anyway because this came on the radio while I was on the way to school and I just thought this would make a great wedding song for you. You know, for when you actually grow a heart and fall in love with someone.’

Rosé laughed despite the tears that were running down her cheeks. The soft sound of the piano began [playing](https://open.spotify.com/track/0hpaWop2LUln6yJ7b0eOza?si=9EnXBuWGRuCeNMWvROvgoA&utm_source=copy-link) followed by the voice she missed hearing. 

_  
‘I never I never thought I needed saving  
I was right where I should be  
Good God, I know it's dangerous  
But it's you that I need  
I'm in love this time  
I'm in love this time  
What have I done?  
What have I done?’  
_

Rosé glanced over her mom who was silently crying beside her. It was only then that she realized how much her mother had been hurting. Maybe even more than she was. As Harvey’s recording continued to play, Rosé’s eyes wandered towards the car that was parked on the driveway. She could see her father’s silhouette from the window and it was then too that she realized he was probably the one who was hurt the most about what happened.  
 _  
‘What have I done?  
Oh no, what have I done?  
You be brave for me, now’  
_  
Rosé removed the earphone and stood up, walking towards the direction of the car as Harvey’s voice echoed in her mind.   
_  
‘Oh no, what have I done?  
You be brave for me, now’  
_  
Rosé tapped on the window of the driver’s seat, tears streaming down her face as her father stepped out of the car. 

“Dad…” she sobbed, running into his outstretched arms. She buried her face in chest like she did when she was a kid. Her father put his hand on her head, trying his best not to cry.

8 years. It took 8 years for them to finally be released of the anger and pain that has been weighing on their shoulders. 

8 years and a 5-minute recording was what it took for Rosé to heal.

Her parents gave her a ride back to her and Denali’s apartment. The drive was mostly quiet but it was the best kind of quiet Rosé has ever heard. Because in it, she found her peace. They pulled up in front of the building and Rosé thanked her parents for the ride. She got out of the car but then quickly turned on her heel. She tapped on her mother’s window and waited for her to roll it down.

“Uhm, if you guys want to come to the wedding,” Rosé began. “Gammy has an invitation so you can look up the venue from there.” Her parents stared at her in shock and she just shrugged. “I just uhm, think it would be nice if you were both there.” Her features softened as she looked her parents in the eyes and gently smiled. “Actually,” she corrected herself. “I would love for you guys to be there.”

Her mother smiled gratefully as did her father. 

“Then we will be there.”

*

Denali poked her head out of the bedroom when she heard the door click. She saw Rosé’s puffy eyes and immediately ran up to her to offer a hug. “How was it?” she asked as they walked towards the couch. Rosé lied down on Denali’s lap, offering her one of the earphones. 

“Mom and dad came,” Rosé said. Denali smiled, hearing that finally, Rosé was calling them mom and dad again. “They gave me this. It’s Harvey. Singing a song for my potential wedding.” She hit the play button and once again, she heard her brother’s little monologue before the song came on. She didn’t cry this time. Instead, she smiled as she held Denali’s hand closer to her chest, running her thumb across the ring on the other’s finger. 

_  
‘So there it is! Congratulations on your wedding! I mean if you ever decide to use your heart other than to pump blood in your veins.’  
_  
Rosé chuckled when she realized she hadn’t reached this part of the recording yet because of that moment with her dad.   
_  
‘Anyways, I love you, Ro. You’re the best sister anyone could ever ask for and whoever you end up with will be the luckiest person alive.’  
_  
In the background, Rosé could hear her own voice, calling her brother down for dinner before the recording ended. Denali leaned down to place a kiss on Rosé’s forehead. “I guess he’s right,” Denali said, running her hands through Rosé’s hair. 

“I am the luckiest person alive.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EPILOGUE up ahead!

Rosé fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. Her hair was pulled into a clean ponytail and her pristine white suit glowed under the natural light that seeps through the glass ceiling and windows. The venue was in the middle of a huge field. It was originally a greenhouse that was turned into a venue for occasions such as this. Marble pillars stood on either side of the entrance where she was waiting to walk down the aisle. It’s been a whole day since she last saw Denali and her heart was hammering out of her chest. Her mother’s warm hand enveloped her cold hands as the music began to play. Her father stood on her other side, offering his arm for her to hold on to. Her brother’s voice sounded from the speakers and just as the chorus came on, Rosé started walking down the aisle with her parents. 

Her eyes wandered around the hall, seeing the familiar faces of their friends and loved ones, beaming at her. She kissed her parents cheeks before standing by the altar to wait for her bride. Her nephew walked down the aisle carrying their rings just as her nieces showered the aisle with flowers.

The music mellowed down as the curtains parted at the entrance revealing the only woman who could ever make Rosé feel complete: Denali. 

Her bride was wearing a simple off-the shoulder mermaid gown with the trail flowing down behind her. She got a haircut the day before and her usually waist-long, straight hair was wavy and stopped short just below her shoulders.

Rosé didn’t notice it but tears were rolling down her cheek as Denali began to walk down the flower covered aisle with her parents. 

Denali broke into a smile when she realized that Rosé was short of sobbing. With every step that she took, her mind raced with the memory of everything they’ve been through. From that drunken kiss in the elevator. To the first date with her friends. From the first night they spent together. To the rest of the nights they came home to each other. From their first fight. To their last playful banter. 

After what seemed like the longest walk in her life, Denali was finally being given away by her parents to the woman she was going to spend the rest of her life with. 

The minister began the formalities of the wedding, joking that he wouldn’t even dare ask if anyone was against the wedding because everyone in the room was shedding tears of joy. He went on to remind the couple what marriage was about---that it was not merely an event. It was the life they were going to live after they delivered their vows and wore the rings on their fingers. He asked the couple to face each other and deliver their vows. Denali took the mic first, handing a tissue over to Rosé as she did. 

“Babe, you have to stop crying if we’re going to finish giving our vows today,” Denali joked, making Rosé and everyone laugh. “Anyways---oh, dear god I should probably not have gone first because you might cry even more.” Rosé playfully glared at her as she continued. 

“Rosie. Hi,” Denali began, smiling at the woman in front of her. “I spent the whole night last night trying to come up with the perfect vow but as you can see, all I have here is this empty paper because all I can think of is how much I love you and how I don’t ever want to lose you. So I guess the only vow I can give you is that I will do everything to keep you. I can’t promise that I will be the perfect wife because I’m not, but I will do my best to give you all the love you deserve. 

I love you, Rosie. And I can’t wait to begin the rest of our life together.”

Rosé was crying again and Denali reached out to wipe the tears away from her face as she handed her the mic. 

“Thank god for waterproof mascara,” Rosé said sniffling. She reached out to hold Denali’s hand, grasping it tightly. “Let’s get this over with so I can kiss you already.” she waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. 

“I told your parents this when I asked for their blessing but I will say it again today because I want to. You, Denali Zuckerman, are the light of my life. From the moment you walked in that elevator door, you brought joy into my life without even knowing it and you continue to do so with every little thing you do. You knocked down my walls and helped me heal and I couldn’t be more grateful for that extra bottle of alcohol that led us to where we are now. 

I can’t imagine how my life would become if you were gone so I promise to never give you a reason to want to leave. I won’t promise that I won’t ever annoy you because you look really cute when you’re annoyed but I promise to never let you go through anything that will make you feel like you aren’t loved, because the whole universe knows how much I do.

I love you, baby, and I will never get tired of reminding you of that.”

Denali’s eyes brimmed with tears but she smiled at Rosé. The minister took the mic and asked for the rings to be brought forth. Denali took the ring that was for Rosé; it was a rose-gold band that had mountains embossed on the center and a little diamond on it. She put the ring on Rosé’s hand, holding the latter tightly. Rosé then took the ring that was for Denali. It was also a rose-gold band embellished with tiny roses all around it. 

“By the power vested in me,” the minster said with a smile. “I now pronounce you, wife, and wife. You may now kiss the bride!”

The guests cheered as the couple closed the gap between them, sharing a kiss as gentle as the first kiss they shared right outside the elevator where they first met. 

“I love you,” Rosé whispered as they pulled away. Denali smiled, revealing both her dimples. 

“You better,” she replied. “Because I love you, too.”

They faced the cheering guests, smiling blissfully at the warm feeling that spread across their chest. They held each other’s hand, their fingers intertwined as they walked out of the hall and into the new chapter of their life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who stayed, left comments, and gave kudos through this AU! I really appreciate your support! 'Till the next RoséNali fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It's been a long time since I wrote a one-shot so please be kind. 
> 
> Leave a kudos and a comment if you liked it! 
> 
> Also holler at me if you want me to continue this! 👀


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